Latest news with #Gujarat
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
India's lion numbers soar: Why are some conservationists worried?
On May 21, the forest department of the western Indian state of Gujarat released results of the country's first lion population estimation since 2020. According to the census, India's wild lion population – exclusively concentrated in Gujarat – has risen by 32 percent over the past five years to 891 lions. India's lion conservation efforts have long been focused on the Gir forest and surrounding areas of Gujarat, especially since the creation of the Gir National Park and Sanctuary in 1965. Today, lions have dispersed and established separate satellite populations outside the Gir region and are found in 11 districts in Gujarat. But for the first time, the census counted more lions across nine satellite populations (497) than the core population (394) in Gir. These include three new populations in neighbouring districts of Gir, including the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, areas around Jetpur city, and areas around Babra and Jasdan towns — all in Gujarat. The census report has earmarked Barda Wildlife Sanctuary as a 'second home' for the big cat in Gujarat, echoing the stance of the state and central governments, which also have argued in favour of developing and managing Barda to host more lions. Indeed, that is one of the primary goals of the 29,277 million Indian rupee ($341m) Project Lion conservation programme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in March. But the surging number of lions masks challenges that confront the future of the species in India, say experts, and questions remain over whether the country is doing enough to minimise human-animal conflict and ensure the long-term conservation of the animal. On June 25, a lion mauled a five-year-old boy to death in Gujarat's Amreli district, after dragging the child away from a farm. We unpack the key findings of the census and the key battles ahead for the big cat in India. How were the lions counted? As per the Gujarat Forest Department, the lion population estimation was conducted over two 24-hour recording schedules from May 11-13. The state's lion landscape was divided into 735 sampling regions, each entrusted to an enumerator and two assistant enumerators. Lions were located and photographed with digital cameras, and cross-verified with adjacent sampling regions to avoid duplication, according to the report. Yadvendradev Jhala, an expert on big cat conservation and formerly with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), however, cautioned that 'double counting' cannot be ruled out, and at the same time, some lions might have been missed 'due to the time constraint' imposed by the two-day exercise. Ravi Chellam, a veteran wildlife biologist involved with lion conservation since 1985, questioned the logic of a methodology that required field staff to stay alert for 24 hours on two consecutive days. 'One can well imagine the fatigue levels and diminished state of alertness of the field staff,' he said. 'I find it difficult to believe that reliable and accurate data can be collected with such an approach.' According to both experts, there are more robust and reliable scientific methods, like combining photographs of lions with the use of whisker patterns – similar to human fingerprints – to identify individual lions. Still, Jhala said that the actual count is likely not very different from the census number. What's behind the sharp rise in lion numbers? Experts say that a combination of the Gujarat state government's policies and the adaptability of lions has contributed to the successful rise in the numbers. According to Jhala, lions will continue to expand their population as long as there is food and cover available, and the animals aren't attacked. 'There is food in the form of livestock, dead carcasses for scavenging, as well as feral cattle for predation,' he said. The Gujarat government's 'compensation for livestock loss is almost near market value and is revised regularly to reflect current market rates,' Jhala said. This has allowed continued human-lion coexistence. Meanwhile, the new census shows that the coastal Gujarat district of Bhavnagar and adjacent areas along the state's coast – far from the dry deciduous habitats of Gir – are now home to 212 lions. The thorny shrubs of the invasive Prosopis juliflora species (a kind of mesquite) along the coast provide 'refuge for lions through the day, and they can come out at night to feed in agropastoral landscapes,' Jhala said. How many more lions can Gujarat host? Since 2010, Gujarat's lion population has more than doubled, and their territorial range has increased by 75 percent, from 20,000 to 35,000 square kilometres (7,700 to 13,500 square miles). However, only 1800sq km falls under protected areas, of which only 250sq km is exclusive to lions. According to the census, 45 percent of lions recorded were found in non-forested areas such as wastelands, agricultural lands and near human habitats. 'They run the risk of falling into open wells, being run over by heavy vehicles and trains, getting electrocuted and also contracting infections,' Chellam said. He pointed out that lions have been regularly documented in unusual locations such as the terraces of homes, in the basement parking lots of hotels, and on busy highways. Chellam argued that 'the region as a whole has far exceeded its carrying capacity.' He says it's not sensible to have an 'increasing lion population in what are essentially human habitations'. Jhala agreed. 'The question is: How much are people willing to tolerate a large carnivore in their neighbourhood?' What is the impact of soaring lion numbers on the people of Gujarat? According to a human-lion conflict study in the Conservation Biology journal published in November, there has been a 10 percent annual increase in the number of villages in Gujarat reporting livestock attacks and a 15 percent increase in livestock killed per year. The paper uses data collected from 2012-2017. Jhala, who a co-author of the study, anticipates growing human-lion conflict. 'It's not easy to live with a large carnivore,' he said. 'You learn that you can't let your kids roam around in the fields at night, that you need to clear the vegetation near your huts, that going out for defecation in the field during twilight hours is to be prevented, that you need walled corrals for your livestock.' Chellam agreed. 'While the increase in the number of lions is viewed by many, and especially the government, as a positive sign, the reality is that more and more lions are risking themselves as well as the lives of tens of thousands of people,' he said. 'There have been numerous instances of people harassing lions and also an increasing trend of lions attacking people.' Is Barda a 'second home' for the lion? As per the census report, for the first time since 1879, the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has an established lion population (17) within its range. While the Gujarat government pitches Barda as a 'second home' for lions, Chellam and Jhala say its small size and proximity to Gir mean that it fails the test of what qualifies as a geographically distinct habitat that can sustain a 'second' lion population. 'The satellite population in Barda counts as a range expansion for lions, but it cannot be considered a separate population since they are contiguous with Gir,' Jhala said. 'The whole point in translocating lions to establish a 'second' free-ranging population is to ensure geographical isolation, to mitigate the risks of having the entire population of an endangered species at a single site,' Chellam explained. Barda is 100km from Gir, and just 200sq km in size, compared with 1,400sq km of core protected area in Gir. 'It [Barda] is a small area with a very low-density prey population. It is incapable of hosting a viable population of lions,' he added. 'The risks are numerous and include cyclones, floods, forest fires, disease outbreaks, political decisions, droughts, poaching, violence and wars.' Why aren't lions being moved outside Gujarat? That's a question that has piqued conservationists – and frustrated even the Supreme Court of India. In April 2013, the country's top court ordered the Gujarat state government to translocate a few Asiatic lions to Kuno National Park in the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh within six months to create a geographically separate, free-ranging lion population. Kuno, with its large tracts of forests and grasslands, was identified as having the perfect landscape and prey base for lions. Though the Gujarat government assured the top court that it would comply with the order, 12 years later, the order is still to be implemented, and neither the federal nor the state government has faced any consequences. 'It is very disappointing to see the levels of impunity with which the state government of Gujarat and also the government of India have been operating when it comes to the translocation of lions to Kuno,' Chellam said. According to Jhala, it is also a failure on the part of wildlife biologists and conservationists. 'You cannot do conservation without the government. I think biologists have failed in convincing the government that Kuno is an ideal place to have a second home for lions,' Jhala said. Haven't cheetahs been moved to Kuno? On September 17, 2022, eight Southeast African Cheetahs were flown in from Namibia to Kuno National Park as part of India's efforts to reintroduce the cheetah to the country. Cheetahs had previously gone extinct in India in 1952. However, the introduction of cheetahs to Kuno set off a debate over whether that would impede plans to also move lions to the Madhya Pradesh reserve. Jhala, who led the 2022 plan to bring cheetahs back to India, said it was 'fantastic' to have the animals back in India – and that lions and cheetahs could easily coexist in Kuno. 'In no way do cheetahs prevent lions from going there. In fact, they would do better than cheetahs, the landscape and prey base in Kuno is perfect for lions,' he said. Bringing in lions could also be helpful for cheetahs, Jhala added. Kuno has one of the highest leopard densities in the world, at 22 leopards per 100sq km. Leopards pose more of a predatory threat to cheetahs; lions can help reduce leopard density as they prey on leopards, especially the young ones. Chellam, though, questioned the intentions of the cheetah reintroduction plan, which he alleged was 'more to continue to stall and delay the translocation of lions [to Kuno] rather than to conserve cheetahs'. Like Jhala, Chellam said that lions would do well in Kuno. 'Lions are very hardy and robust animals. If the translocation is planned and carried out carefully, there is no reason for the lions not to thrive in Kuno.' What's next for the big cat? 'It [lions in Gujarat] is a wonderful conservation story,' Jhala said. 'But a lot can be done for the lion as a species. Forget about Kuno; we should try and establish lion populations across its historical range, within and outside of India'. The old range of lions in Asia extended from Persia to eastern India – the last of Asia's lions outside India were shot and killed in Iran in the 1940s. The current concentration of lions in just Gujarat, Chellam said, was a 'ticking time bomb'. With lion numbers ballooning in human habitats, he said it was important for the government to recognise that 'space and availability of good quality habitats are a severe constraint [in Gujarat].'
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
The questions behind the Air India plane crash: What caused it and what happens next?
At least 275 people have been confirmed dead after an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday 12 June, in what is now the world's deadliest air disaster in a decade. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed from Ahmedabad airport in the western state of Gujarat at 1.39pm local time (8.09am BST). But after issuing a mayday call, it crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar just five minutes after taking off, India's civil aviation authority confirmed. Gujarat health officials said on 25 June that the final death toll was believed to be 275, including passengers, crew, and residents of the medical college hostel struck by the aircraft. Rescue crews and investigators took days to sift through the charred remains of the hostel and aircraft as large cranes were deployed to clear the debris. Images of the dining area of the medical college hostel showed wheels and other parts of the aircraft embedded in the walls, with debris, personal belongings and uneaten lunches scattered across the floor. Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder – the aircraft's black boxes – have now been recovered, officials confirmed. Work to extract the data from the recorders began on 24 June. The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who had been sitting in seat 11A, was identified by local police shortly after the crash. Here is everything we know about the crash so far: What happened prior to the Air India crash? After taking off from Ahmedabad airport at 1.39pm local time, the flight made a mayday call to air traffic control. But there was no response to subsequent calls made by controllers to the aircraft, Indian aviation authorities reported. According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, the signal from the plane was lost 'less than a minute after take-off'. Five minutes later, the plane crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar. The plane hit the rooftop of a hostel at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, where students had been eating lunch in the dining hall. Videos showed the plane exploding into a fireball, with plumes of smoke pouring from the wreckage of the plane as firefighters tried to douse the charred remains of buildings impacted by the crash. Images from the site showed scorched walls, twisted metal, and lunch trays still on tables inside the debris-filled hostel dining room. It was unclear for hours how many people were killed, but officials said everyone on the plane died, except one, with dozens of victims from the medical college where the plane struck. Flight AI171 had been travelling to London Gatwick. But flight tracking data showed the plane was only briefly airborne before crashing close to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. What caused the crash? While it was still unclear what had caused the crash, poor maintenance, a bird strike, engine failure as well as the weather were initially being suggested as the reasons. Investigators have said they are examining possible issues with engine thrust, flap settings, and why the landing gear remained extended after take-off. A bird strike is not currently being considered a likely cause. The temperature in Ahmedabad went over 40C on Thursday and the thinner air would have made take-off more difficult, requiring higher flap settings and greater engine thrust, experts told the BBC and the New York Times. Improper flap extension during take-off could prevent a heavily loaded jet carrying passengers, long-haul fuel and operating in hot conditions from generating enough lift to get airborne. One of the strongest pieces of evidence being reviewed by investigators is a 59-second CCTV video that captured the moment the Air India flight took off and crashed in Ahmedabad. The footage, recorded from the far left of the runway near a barbed-wire fence, shows the plane gaining altitude briefly, flying flat for a few seconds, and then descending with its tail down. The descent began roughly 17 seconds after take-off. No fire is visible around the engines or elsewhere on the aircraft before impact, and the landing gear remains extended throughout the clip. It took just 33 seconds from wheels-up to the fiery crash, which killed nearly everyone on board. A former pilot told the BBC that footage of the airplane was not clear enough to determine if the flaps were correctly extended, but such an error would be 'highly unusual'. Moreover, he said, incorrect flap settings would have set off warnings. But Richard Curran, professor of sustainable aviation at City, University of London, said he had been told by multiple sources that the pilots issued a malfunction warning prior to the crash. Prof Curran, who previously spent 12 years as KLM's chair of engineering and maintenance, told The Independent: 'They actually registered a malfunction. So that means they had a technical problem', adding: 'So it was not a pilot error.' And he dismissed suggestions that multiple bird strikes could have caused dual engine failure, saying: 'These pilots are extremely well trained. They're trained for bird strike. It's one of the basic things that you go through in simulator training as a pilot.' Who was on board the plane? There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members onboard the aircraft. They included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, Air India said. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a line training captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. There were 10 other crew members on board, civil aviation authorities said. Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognisable. Gujarat's former chief minister Vijay Rupani was also among the passengers. Rajkot city shut down markets on the Saturday after the crash to mourn his passing. The MP for Leicester East said she understood 'a handful of Leicester residents' were onboard the crashed flight. Shivani Raja told BBC News that her community, which has a high population of British-Gujaratis, were 'all really horrified and devastated waking up to such tragic news'. Who survived the crash? Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on the flight did not survive. A British national was the only person on board to miraculously escape with minor injuries. It was unclear exactly how many people were inside the building that the plane crashed into, but 34 bodies of non-passengers have been recovered. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was sat in seat 11A and walked away from the crash unaided with minor injuries. His family confirmed his survival, and the BBC said his name was confirmed in the flight manifest shared by the authorities. According to Hindustan Times, he said: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.' Mr Ramesh, who has lived in the UK with his wife and child for 20 years, was in India for a few days to visit family, according to the Indian outlet. 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me,' Hindustan Times reported him as saying. 'Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.' His brother, Ajay, was also on the flight. A student, Bhumi Chauhan, missed the ill-fated flight by minutes. The 28-year-old business student from Bristol had been visiting Gujarat with her husband and was booked on Air India flight AI171, which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday. Ms Chauhan says she had checked in online and reached Ahmedabad airport at 12:20pm local time, just 10 minutes after boarding was due to start. "I got late because I was stuck in traffic. I was upset (after being denied boarding) and reached the airport exit when I learnt the plane had crashed," she told Indian news channel NDTV, She had travelled 200km from Ankleshwar but was delayed by city traffic. Ms Chauhan said she was disappointed when she missed her flight, but minutes later everything changed. "I was getting ready to step out of the airport when I learnt about the crash. I began shivering. My legs started trembling. I felt numb for quite some time," she said. "My Ganpati ji (Hindu god) saved me," she added. Medical college hostel struck The aircraft crashed into a hostel building at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital. 'The plane was flying very low before it crashed,' eyewitness Haresh Shah told local news agency PTI. 'As it crashed into the building, the sound was like a blast and the plane and the building caught fire.' College dean Minakshi Parikh told reporters that four students living in the hostel had died and 19 were injured. 'Two third-year students are untraceable. A doctor's wife was also killed while two relatives of other doctors were injured. Three members of a doctor's family went missing after the incident,' she said. Dhaval Gameti, president of the resident doctors' association at the college, said 50-60 people had been injured. Footage from the scene showed aircraft debris in the hostel's dining area, with some tables left with uneaten food on the plates. What is the status of investigation? Investigators have recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, which was recovered from a rooftop near the crash site and likely will lead to clues about the cause of the accident. India 's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has succeeded in extracting the data from the flight data recorder. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations. A team of four officials from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and flight data, is now working in Ahmedabad alongside American and Indian counterparts. "Their role is to provide additional support and expertise to the safety investigation being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau," the government said. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata – which owns Air India – said this was one of the 'darkest days' in the group's history and promised full transparency. 'We don't know right now [what caused the crash], but we will,' he said. What is known about the Boeing aircraft? The plane involved was a Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' delivered to Air India in 2014. This was the first fatal incident involving the 787. Soon after the Dreamliner entered service in 2011, concerns over fire risk from lithium batteries led to a temporary grounding. But there was no indication yet that the crash was connected to any technical issues onboard the aircraft. More than 1,000 Boeing 787 aircraft are in service with dozens of international airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, both of which have exemplary safety records. The aircraft is described by the US manufacturer as 'the bestselling passenger widebody of all time' with some 2,000 orders from 89 customers. The planes have carried more than one billion passengers on nearly five million flights. When was the last plane crash in India? The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2020 and involved the airline's low-budget arm Air India Express. The Boeing-737 overshot a 'table-top' runway at the Kozhikode International Airport in southern India, skidded off and plunged into a valley, crashing nose-first into the ground. The crash killed at least 21 people. Where can I find out information about the victims? Air India has set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. 'Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident,' the airline said. The airline has also set up assistance centres for friends and relatives at the airports in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Gatwick to 'provide support and take care of the needs of the families and loved ones'. The centres are also facilitating travel for family members to Ahmedabad, it said on X.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Moment out-of-control elephants turn on their handlers and trample crowd at Indian festival
This is the horrifying moment a panicked elephant tramples a crowd of festival-goers in India. The male elephant was part of an 18 animal strong procession for the Rath Yatra celebrations through Khadia, an area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, when it appears to have become spooked. The colourfully dressed creature seems to be looking for a way out from the busy streets when he storms away from its handlers and charges towards a crowd pressed up against some railings. Several terrified people get caught under the elephant's feet and the collapsing railing as the huge animal bulldozes through, waving its tusks. Dozens rush to help the squashed festival-goers once the creature makes its way further down the street, two more elephants in tow. RK Sahu, Superintendent of the Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden told The Times of India: 'Following protocol, the elephant was immediately given a tranquiliser injection. 'Two female elephants were used to gently herd him away from the crowd, in line with our standard safety strategy.' The Indian outlet reported that no one was injured and the alarmed crowd was able to be brought back under control. They added that the elephant was the only male in the procession and will not be re-joining the troop. Around 100 people in India are killed each year by elephants, though the number can be as high as 300, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Rath Yatra is an annual festival which sees a procession make its way through the streets to celebrate three Hindu deities. Chariots are traditionally used as well as elephants and decorated trucks make up the 14 kilometre long procession. Two years ago, a person died during the festival after the balcony they were standing on collapsed. More than 20 people were standing on the veranda watching the procession when Mehul Panchal was killed from the fall. Among the injured were three children. In 2022, Maya Murmu, 70, was trampled to death by an elephant when she was out collecting water in Raipal village, Eastern India when the escaped elephant came out of nowhere. She later died in hospital of her injuries, Rasgovindpur police station inspector Lopamudra Nayak said. Then that evening the elephant returned as the 70-year-old's body lay on top of her funeral pyre. It took her body down, trampled her again, threw her around and went off into the night, according to the Press Trust of India. The elephant is believed to have travelled from the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in the state of Jharkhand, 200km away from Raipal in Odisha state, Mayurbhanj district. According to local reports, the Independent said, the second trampling happened while Ms Murmu's family were performing last rites. It is now known if anyone else was harmed but the family did go ahead with the ceremony after the elephant left. The year before that, a 30-year-old man was filmed running for his life after a wild elephant charged at him in Assam, north-eastern India. After tripping and falling in the paddy field, the man lies helplessly on the ground as the charging elephant closes the gap between them. The man tries to get back up again, but within moments the pachyderm is upon him, goring him with its tusks and trampling him with a frightening ferocity. Meanwhile, onlookers record the brutal encounter on their phones in terror. The injured man was rushed to safety while the forest officials chased the jumbo back towards the forest cover. India Today reported the man was 'severely injured' although still alive.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Climate
- SBS Australia
India Report: Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the first Indian to enter International space station
A cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh causes flash floods while Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Kerala face heavy rain warnings. The defence ministers of India and China hold a constructive dialogue. The United States embassy now requires full social media history from Indian visa applicants. Amit Shah clarifies his language stand and says he promotes Hindi but does not oppose English. Shubhanshu Shukla scripts history as he becomes the first Indian in an International space station. Find our podcasts here at SBS Hindi Podcast Collection. You can also tune in to SBS Hindi a t 5pm on SBS South Asian on digital radio, on channel 305 on your television, via the SBS Audio app or stream from our website.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Air India disaster major update after black box data successfully downloaded
Indian authorities have successfully recovered and begun analysing data from the black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad on June 12. The crash, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board and at least 19 on the ground, was the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting the analysis of both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder in India, confirming they were not sent abroad. A decision on whether to send the black boxes overseas for further decoding will be made only after the AAIB completes its full assessment. Following the incident, India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), initiated a special audit, citing recurring aircraft defects and inadequate maintenance practices at major airports.
