Gir to remain closed for tourists in monsoons
Vadodara: Gir National Park, the only home to
Asiatic lions, will remain closed for tourists in monsoons on account of the
breeding season of the wild cats.
The sanctuary in Junagadh district would remain closed
for the breeding season, from today onwards for four months, said Sandeep
Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forest Wildlife division at Sasan.
Also, this is the best mating season for leopards
and Peacocks and the period is crucial for conservation of the endangered
animals, he said.
“Since we supervise the conservation efforts, we
want to prevent any disturbance in the conservation activities, which could be
caused by tourists. So we close the sanctuary,” he said.
Kumar said that the Park is also a natural habitat
for sambar, spotted deer, blue bull, black buck, wild boar, jackal, hyena,
langurs, porcupine, bear,crocodiles and over 250 species of birds.
Another reason behind the closure is that the
forest staff has to monitor the movement of wild animals during rains and in
case of heavy rains in the area, they have to chalk out a rescue plan and shift
them to safer places, he said.
Source: FE
