CID to submit report on lion poaching probe soon: Shah

Junagadh, Gujarat, Apr 19 (UNI) Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah today said the probe by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in poaching of lions in the Gir Sanctuary was in the final stage and would submit its report to the state Home Department.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Shah said ''The CID probe into lions' poaching case is in the closing stage and will submit its report on findings to the Home Department.'' He said after the submission of the report, the government would initiate remedial measures to prevent poaching and to safeguard the lives of wild animals, particularly lions.

While talking about the Centre's 3-member fact-finding team, which had recently visited the Gir Sanctuary, the Minister said he did not have much knowledge about the team's findings as it would submit its report to the Union Government.

When asked, the Minister denied that the lions in Gir would be shifted to Madhya Pradesh as their ''Second Home''. However, he admitted that with the rise in lions' population in notified area of the Gir Sanctury, the state government was exploring the probability to settle some of them in Barda region of neighbouring Porbandar district, which has similar topography and climatic conditions.

The month of March, described as 'Massacre March' by the wildlife lovers, 18 big cats, including 12 Asiatic lions and six leopards, had died, putting a question mark over the safety and security of feline cats in the Gir Sanctuary.

Of the 12 lion deaths, six were allegedly killed by a gang of poachers from the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh to sell their skin, claws and skull in the international market.

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