Gir lioness baby – sits, feeds siblings

In display of Unusual Behavior, introduces cubs to meat early

There’s nothing like a sister’s love. A young lioness, baby sitting her three six – week - old step siblings when the mother is away hunting, has caught the eye of foresters in the Gir Sanctuary(Sasan Gir, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India) .

Experts say this is a rare sight in the wild – the three year old lioness not only watches over the cubs, but hunts for them as well.  Deputy Conservator of forests, Sandeep Kumar, who is documenting this unique behavior, says generally one and a half month old cubs are not exposed to flesh and blood. “They only survive on mother’s milk”, he says. “But in this case, we noticed that when the mother is not around, the sister not only takes care of the cubs but also gets them fresh meat and they seem to be doing well so far”.

Kumar adds that cubs first taste the meat when they are slightly older. “On a couple of occasions, the sister dragged the kill to the cubs and watched them eat,” he adds. To ensure that this premature weaning does not have any adverse effect, the foresters are regularly monitoring the health of the cubs.
 Even the mother has started hunting closer to home and bringing the kill to the cubs. She makes the kill before the cubs, but ensures that they are at a safe distance, which officials say may be a way of teaching them the first lesions of hunting.

Gujarat additional principal chief conservator of forests, H.S. Singh says, “Usually, the mother would not expose the cubs to blood before 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, they are given their first taste of blood and only after a while are they allowed to eat meat”.

“Lion cubs are nursed till about six months,” says Meena Venkatraman, who has a PhD in lion behavior from Wildlife Institute of India. “They may start to feed on tidbits of meat when the prides are feeding on a kill. This is usually around three months. However, tasting meat is not same as eating meat”.

Courtesy: - Times of India

Black- Necked stork numbers up in Khijadia Bird Sanctuary, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India

Forest Department officials claim to have spotted 49 black-necked storks in and around Khijadia Bird Sanctuary roughly 12km from Jamnagar in the recent statewide water birds’ census.
It is a significant increase from merely six storks (including two chicks) spotted in 2002 of the 49 black-necked storks, seven were chicks, officials said. Black-Necked storks are classified as “near threatened” in India.
“In the last decade, rare birds like black-necked storks have preferred the environs of Khijadia for breeding and their numbers have increased significantly” said R.D. Kamboj, Chief Conservator of Forests, Marine National Park, Jamnagar.
Kamboj said the birds’ population estimation in and around Khijadia was carried out in the last week of January 2012, when many winter visiting birds were expected.
The number of birds as well the species has increased in Khijadia over the last four years. “During the estimation exercise, a total of 87,681 birds of 185 species were recorded at the sanctuary in the 2008 census, 41,437birds belonging to 119 species were recorded,” Kamboj said.
However, Jaypalsinh Jadeja, an avid bird watcher and ornithologist, said that the population of black-necked storks is not limited to just Khijadia or the area surrounding it but are spread over an area stretching up to Dwarka, which is roughly 150 km from Jamnagar.
“It is a magnificent bird to watch and you will definitely find at least four to five black- necked storks at Khijadiya within one km range,” said Jadeja.
Khijadia Bird Sanctuary is a wetland area located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Kutch in semi-arid region of Jamnagar district. It encompasses freshwater lakes as well as brackish/marine wetland at a place. This complex of wet lands strategically falls on Indo-Asian flyway of migratory birds welcoming the birds coming from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and their neighboring areas.
“The sanctuary also has birds like painted storks, darters, lesser flamingoes and Indian skimmers among others. The sanctuary has been proposed recently for inclusion as the wetland of international importance, a Ramsar site”, kamboj said.
Courtesy:- Times Of India

GLOBAL BIRD WATCHER'S CONFERENCE 2010 25-27th Nov. - Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Jamnagar District, Gujarat, India.

Located at the watershed of River Ruparel and Kalindri at the North East coastal region of Jamnagar district in the Gulf of Kutch, is a very special and unique ecosystem.

In Khijadiya, the migratory birds of the Eurasian Continent find both freshwater and marine habitat for nesting and resting. The unique ecosystem is partly man made and partly Nature's bounty. Reclamation bunds were built during the British era to prevent saline ingression in the soil and as a result two separate lakes were formed by water that drains from the Rivers Ruparel and Kalindri. These lake provide freshwater ecosystem during winter when the Birds Migrate to this area and the Kutch sea coast with its mangroves and marshy coast provides yet another ideal destination for migratory birds.

The Sanctuary is spread over both the lakes and the sea coast and is in two parts. One part is known as Dhunvav and the other is called Jambuda, named after the villages near which they are located. The Marshes and the Creeks on the Marine side supports Mangroves and other marine vegetation while the Sanctuary on the land's side has the native variety of Babul, Prosopis and other shrubs that support a large fauna other than the avian variety.

Location
Location Map




Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary is only 15 kms from the city of Jamnagar, which is home to the world's largest grass root refinery. From the Jamnagar Railway station, it is at a distance of 18 kms. By road it is 4 kms from the Khijadiya Patiya on the Rajkot - Dwaraka State highway no.25.


Eco- Tourism
With increasing awareness being spread about ecological preservation among the generation next from schools and media, there is a surge in interest about knowing and conserving Nature and its resources. Gujarat wishes the people to know about the Bird Sanctuaries in the state beyond Nalsarovar.