With an eye on safari, SGNP officials have requested the Central Zoo Authority to add two more lions to their existing count of three
In this file picture, lioness Shobha, who died in October 2014, is seen playing with her three cubs Jespa, Gopa and Little Shobha at SGNP, Borivli in 2012
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Authorities at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivli appear to be adamant about reviving the dwindling population of wild cats inside the forest’s protected habitat. In a fresh request, SGNP has sent a letter to the state zoo authority, asking for two new lions for its safari, forest department officials revealed.
A senior SGNP official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development and said, “The Central Zoo Authority will assess the situation [number of lions in other parks in India] and decide, which lions could be sent to Mumbai.”
SGNP’s safari is hugely popular with visitors. The biggest draws are the park’s lions and tigers. But, with the animals either dying of old age or illnesses, the authorities are concerned about the park losing its wildlife tag.
State forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is keen on increasing the forest cover in Maharashtra and maintaining its wildlife, is determined to revive the park, said sources. In July this year, he successfully managed to get two female tigers from Pench to Mumbai. Now, the department is trying to increase the lion count in the park and has hence, raised the request.
Gopa spotted at the national park in 2014
At present, SGNP has two male and one female lion. If SGNP’s request is accepted by the Central Zoo Authority, the total number of lions in the park will go up to five.
In 2014, SGNP lost its oldest lioness Shobha, who was 12 years old. Shobha was brought to SGNP from Benerghatta National Park, Bengaluru in 2009, along with a male lion, Ravindra.
The authorities had released Shobha and Ravindra together so that they could mate. However, the two would keep clawing at each other. During one such fight, Shobha had suffered severe injuries on her right flank. She also suffered from gynaecological complications and eventually died in October that same year.
But, two years before her death, Shobha, who had mated with the rescued circus lion Badshah, had given birth to three cubs of which two, Jespa and Gopa, are still alive. Her third cub, Little Shobha, died a few years ago. Badshah — one of the oldest lions in SGNP — died at the age of 17 in 2013.
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