Lok Sabha Question No. 3427 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-13
Subject: Animals in Wildlife Safaris
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Mohanbhai Sanjibhai Delkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3427

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2020.

## Animals in Wildlife Safaris

## 3427.   SHRI MOHAN S. DELKAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government has made any assessment of the number of animals living in wildlife safaris in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the declining number of tourists in such areas can be attributed to declining number of lions in these areas, and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the population of lions has declined in the safari area of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the measures taken by the Government to increase the number of lions in the said safari areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO )

- (a) to (e) Every recognized zoo submits total number of animals in its collection to the Central Zoo Authority in the form of inventory. The details of number of captive animals with respect  to  exclusive  Safaris  recognized  under  Section  38  H  of  the  Wild  Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as available with the Central Zoo Authority, is as given below:

| S.No   | Name of Zoo/safari                                                   | Animals   | Animals   | Animals   | Animals   |
|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|        |                                                                      | Male      | Female    | Unsexed   | Total     |
| 1      | Lion Breeding Centre and Multiple Safari Park, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh | 41        | 37        | 11        | 89        |
| 2      | Lion Safari-Vasona, Dadra and Nagar Haveli                           | 0         | 2         | 0         | 2         |
| 3      | Ambardi Wildlife Interpretation Zone (Ambardi Safari Park), Gujarat  | 1         | 5         | 0         | 6         |
|        | Total                                                                | 42        | 44        | 11        | 97        |

No study has been undertaken by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to ascertain the relationship between number of tourists and number of lions in wildlife safari in zoos.

The  details  of  stock  of  Asiatic  Lion  maintained  at  Lion  Safari-Vasona,  Dadra  and Nagar Haveli is as given below:

| S.No   | Year      | Closing Stock   | Closing Stock   | Closing Stock   | Closing Stock   |
|--------|-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|        |           | Male            | Female          | Unsexed         | Total           |
| 1      | 2015-2016 | 1               | 2               | 0               | 3               |
| 2      | 2016-2017 | 2               | 2               | 0               | 4               |
| 3      | 2017-2018 | 1               | 2               | 0               | 3               |
| 4      | 2018-2019 | 0               | 2               | 0               | 2               |

The  Zoo-to  Zoo  exchange  programme  undertaken  with  the  approval  of  the  Central Zoo Authority helps in augmenting the number of lions in the Safaris.

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