India sterilises lions

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 22

India sterilises lions

NZPA-AFP . New Delhi Authorities are beginning to sterilise lions in India to check their prolific breeding in captivity which has posed space problems in the country’s zoos, a wildlife official said.

The first vasectomy in Indian zoological history was done in southern Kar-

nataka state, where two lions, both three years old, were sterilised recently, said Kishore Rao.

The surgery on Shanker, named after the Hindu god of destruction, and Guru were done by Dr Nan Schaaffer, an American expert in reproductive physiology, after the lions were tranquilised. “They are in good health and great spirit,” said a spokesman of the Jaya Chamarajendra zoological park at Mysore.

Asiatic lions, once numerous in north India, almost disappeared towards the end of the nineteenth century. Only dozens of the animals were seen in the Gir forests in the west coastal state of Gujarat in 1980, official records say. But thanks to stringent protective measures adopted by New Delhi, the

population of wild lions has increased to 205, Mr Rao said.

As their numbers grew in the wild, some were caught and kept in captivity in the country’s 24 zoological parks. “It was interesting to see that in captivity, the lions were breeding prolifically .. . and their numbers have been increasing in virtually every park,” said Mr Rao. “Hence the decision to go for what you may call family planning for the lions in captivity.” As an example, Mr Rao said that a lion and two lionesses were brought from the Gir forest to a sanctuary in the central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1957. By 1972, there were 12 of the animals.

“Likewise in every zoo, their numbers were increasing and it posed problems of

accommodation,” Mr Rao said. “Lions are not like deer or monkeys; they need their own area and big places to live and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find new accommodation for them,” he said. Experts said that an average zoo was able to accommodate at most three lions, given the requirements for food and space. Officials were unable to specify the number of lions in captivity in India, saying that they were scattered all over the country and obtaining information from the state departments was difficult.

The Asiatic lion is one of the rarest and most important wild animals in India. It is stockier in build and has bigger elbows, tufts, and tail tassels than the African, species.