Gujarat appoints permanent panel to protect Asiatic lions

 
Following the poaching of Asiatic lions in their only abode, the Gir sanctuary in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, the State Government has appointed a permanent 10-member committee of experts for the conservation of the endangered species. The State committee comes close on the heels of the Centre appointing one. The team visited here inspected the carcass of a lion recovered in the Babariya range, questioned the settlers in the sanctuary and held discussions with the forest officials.The State committee to be headed by the Principal Secretary in the Environment and Forest Department, P.N.Roy Choudhary, would keep reviewing the security systems from time and recommend necessary measures.
The forest department have identified two areas within the state Barda in Amreli district and Higolgadh near Rajkot, which they feel could be developed as "Safari park" both for protection of the lions and development of tourism

(The Hindu, 18th April 2007)