Guj lion deaths: Congress leader Ahmed Patel writes to PM Modi

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday, suggesting measures to tackle large-scale deaths of Asiatic lions in Gujarat's Gir forest and calling it an example of "ecological neglect" by the state government.

In his letter, the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat said the death of Gir lions is a "manifestation of negligence" and "result of the state government's prolonged mismanagement and poor oversight."
The Congress leader stressed on the need for removal of "illegal resorts" near the sanctuary, "irrespective of their ownership."
Drawing attention to the shortage of medicines and trained veterinary doctors for lions, Patel suggested the government to consider "introducing training programmes for lion conservation and allocating adequate budget for research towards their conservation."