Gujarat opposes move to send Gir lions to MP

1 Dec 2007, 0349 hrs IST,Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN NEW DELHI: The Centre's grand plan to relocate some of the Asiatic lions from their only home at Gir forest in Gujarat to the forests of Madhya Pradesh has run into serious opposition from the Narendra Modi government. The plan, to save the lions from a disaster that could wipe them out in one go, involved relocating five of them from Gir to a 300 sqkm forest at Kunopalpur in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. As many as 30 villages falling within the identified area were relocated in 2003, but the plan mooted by the Wildlife Institute of India and accepted by the Centre is still hanging fire. A petition filed by Bio-diversity Conservation Trust of India through counsel Ritwick Datta alleged that the main reason for the stalling of the plan was the U-turn by....................................... full news at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gujarat_opposes_move_to_send_Gir_lions_to_MP/articleshow/2586606.cms