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86-628: The distribution of Asiatic lion, once found widely in West and South Asia, dwindled to a single population in the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in India. The population at Gir declined to 18 animals in 1893 but increased due to protection and conservation efforts to 284 in 1994. The Gir Wildlife Sanctuary is now highly overpopulated with lions, the 2015 census showed the strength to be 523 lions. There are numerous deaths in

172-438: A core area that no other individual group uses, but, again, this is as a result of avoidance. The ultimate function of animals inhabiting and defending a territory is to increase the individual fitness or inclusive fitness of the animals expressing the behaviour. Fitness in this biological sense relates to the ability of an animal to survive and raise young. The proximate functions of territory defense vary. For some animals,

258-399: A combination of both visual and olfactory advertising of the territory. The male ring-tailed lemur has a specialised adaptation to assist in leaving visual/olfactory territorial marks. On their inner forearm (antebrachial) is a scent gland which is covered by a spur . In a behaviour called "spur marking", they grasp the substrate, usually a small sapling, and drag the spur over it, cutting into

344-621: A facultative purpose for this species, in which the more fragrance-rich sites there are, the greater the number of habitable territories. Since these territories are aggregated, females have a large selection of males with whom to potentially mate within the aggregation, giving females the power of mate choice . Similar behaviour is also observed in the Eulaema meriana orchid bee. Males in this species of bee show alternative behaviours of territoriality and transiency. Transient male bees did not defend territories, but instead flew from one territory to

430-475: A move which has been criticised in the light of the deaths of two newly translocated zoo-bred lions in the safari park at Etawah , Uttar Pradesh . After the dismissal of the Gujarat State petition, two NGOs from Gujarat have filed separate petitions against the translocation order, one on the grounds that certain relevant facts have not been brought to the notice of the apex court, the other stating that

516-412: A nasty neighbour strategy. Group-living male breeders are nearly five times more aggressive towards their neighbours than towards strangers, leading to the prediction that neighbours are the most important competitors for paternity. Using a molecular parentage analysis it has been shown that 28% of offspring are sired by neighbouring males and only 7% by strangers. In certain species of butterflies, such as

602-428: A perspective. Several other type of resource may be defended including partners, potential mates, offspring, nests or lairs, display areas or leks . Territoriality emerges where there is a focused resource that provides enough for the individual or group, within a boundary that is small enough to be defended without the expenditure of excessive effort. Territoriality is often most strong towards conspecifics , as shown in

688-588: A strategy termed the dear enemy effect in which two neighbouring territorial animals become less aggressive toward one another once territorial borders are well-established and they are familiar to each other, but aggression toward unfamiliar animals remains unaffected. The converse of this is the nasty neighbour effect in which a territory-holder shows heightened aggression toward neighbouring territory-holders but unaffected aggression to unfamiliar animals or distant territory-holders. These contrasting strategies depend on which intruder (familiar or unfamiliar) poses

774-450: Is a lekking reptile. Males start to establish small display territories two months ahead of the mating season. Rather than retaining a territory simply by fighting, for some animals this can be a 3-stage process. Many animals create "sign-posts" to advertise their territory. Sometimes these sign-posts are on the boundary thereby demarcating the territory, or, may be scattered throughout the territory. These communicate to other animals that

860-421: Is a behaviour used by animals to identify their territory. Most commonly, this is accomplished by depositing strong-smelling substances contained in the urine , faeces , or, from specialised scent glands located on various areas of the body. Often, the scent contains pheromones or carrier proteins such as the major urinary proteins to stabilize the odours and maintain them for longer. The animal sniffing

946-527: Is a large (up to 8 cm in length) limpet. It lives in association with an approximately 1,000 cm^2 area of algal film in which its grazing marks can be seen, whereas the remainder of the rock surface is usually free of any visible film. These areas of algal film represent the territories of the Lottia; within them the animals do all their grazing. They keep their territories free of other organisms by shoving off any intruders: other Lottia, grazing limpets of

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1032-484: Is a series of stylised postures, vocalisations, displays, etc. which function to solve the territory dispute without actual fighting as this could injure either or both animals. Ritualized aggression often ends by one of the animals fleeing (generally the intruder). If this does not happen, the territory may be defended by actual fighting, although this is generally a last resort. Scent marking, also known as territorial marking or spraying when this involves urination ,

1118-594: Is considered to mitigate against the risk of epidemic disease. The Gujarat government's curative petition against relocation of the wild Asiatic lions from the Gir Forest to Madhya Pradesh was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 14 August 2014. In the face of continued opposition, the Madhya Pradesh government is considering an alternate plan to release zoo-bred lions from Hyderabad and Sakkarbaug ,

1204-636: Is different from normal urination, which is done while squatting. This posture is exclusive to alpha wolves of either sex, although the alpha male does this most often. The alpha female usually urinates on a scent post that her breeding partner has just urinated on, although during the mating season, the female may first urinate on the ground. All other females in the pack, and also young wolves and low-ranking male wolves, urinate while squatting. Similar urination postures are used by coyotes and golden jackals . Males and female ring-tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ) scent-mark both vertical and horizontal surfaces at

1290-457: Is laid in well defined piles. There may be 20 to 30 of these piles to alert passing rhinoceroses that it is occupied territory. Other males may deposit dung over the piles of another and subsequently the sign-post grows larger and larger. Such a dung heap can become up to five metres wide and one metre high. After defecating, greater one-horned rhinos scratch their hind feet in the dung. By continuing to walk, they "transport" their own smell around

1376-554: Is least likely with insectivorous birds, where the food supply is plentiful but unpredictably distributed. Swifts rarely defend an area larger than the nest. Conversely, other insectivorous birds that occupy more constrained territories, such as the ground-nesting blacksmith lapwing may be very territorial, especially in the breeding season during which they not only threaten or attack many kinds of intruders, but have stereotyped display behaviour to deter conspecifics sharing neighbouring nesting spots. The owl limpet ( Lottia gigantea )

1462-597: Is no need to shift lions from Gir. We will ensure their survival here. As early as 2009, the continued opposition of the Gujarat state government led to the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department's exploration of the possibility of procuring zoo-bred Asiatic lions and shifting them and their descendants to Palpur-Kuno. The Gujarat state government has, over time, made various arguments against translocating lions to Madhya Pradesh (MP), such as that

1548-492: Is not always a fixed behavioural characteristic of a species. For example, red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) either establish stable home ranges within particular areas or are itinerant with no fixed abode . Territories may vary with time (season). For example, European robins defend territories as pairs during the breeding season but as individuals during the winter. Resource availability may cause changes in territoriality. For example, some nectarivores defend territories only during

1634-511: Is of the view that the present sanctuary area and its buffer total over 700 km and are therefore adequate, but have made no mention of notifying the buffer zone area also as a sanctuary. In a reversal of position, the Ministry of Environment and Forests decided in a meeting in June 2015 against translocation at present on the grounds that it would be detrimental to the breeding and survival of

1720-412: Is only shown by a minority of species. More commonly, an individual or a group of animals occupies an area that it habitually uses but does not necessarily defend; this is called its home range . The home ranges of different groups of animals often overlap, and in these overlap areas the groups tend to avoid each other rather than seeking to confront and expel each other. Within the home range there may be

1806-399: Is reversed. Animals may use several strategies to defend their territories. The first game theory model of fighting is known as the hawk-dove game . This model pits a hawk strategy (always try to injure your opponent and only withdraw from the contest if an injury is received) against a dove strategy (always use a non-injurious display if the rival is another dove and always withdraw if

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1892-483: The Australian painted lady butterfly and the speckled wood butterfly , the male defends territories that receptive females are likely to fly through such as sunny hilltops and sunspots on a forest's floor. Territory defence in male variegated pupfish ( Cyprinodon variegatus ) is dependent on the presence of females. Reduced aggression consistent with the dear enemy effect occurs between conspecific neighbours in

1978-498: The Barda Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhavnagar Amreli Forest instead. Gir's lions have spread beyond the protective area and the measures of the state to engage this phenomenon are being portrayed as providing adequate dispersal to the lion population to prevent disease. Gujarat also played an emotional card by declaring before the Supreme Court that the lion was inextricably bound to the culture of Gujarat and that it

2064-619: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and is modelled on the lines of Project Tiger . The project has established three "gene pool" sites at Rampara in Saurashtra, and Sakkarbaug and Satveerada in Junagadh for the purpose of breeding the lions. One of the aims of the project is to address human-wildlife conflict between local residents and the lions. The project has also identified six new potential sites of reintroduction of

2150-821: The Ngorongoro Crater to over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) in the Kalahari . In birds, golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ) have territories of 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres), least flycatchers ' ( Empidonax minimus ) territories are about 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft) and gulls have territories of only a few square centimetres in the immediate vicinity of the nest. Territories can be linear. Sanderlings ( Calidris alba ) forage on beaches and sandflats. When on beaches, they feed either in flocks or individual territories of 10 to 120 metres of shoreline. The time to develop territories varies between animals. The marine iguana ( Amblyrhynchus cristatus )

2236-593: The Samrakshan Trust , have been working for better rehabilitation of villagers who agreed to move out of the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2004, the state government refused to part with the first pride of 19 animals planned for relocation. The state considers the lions as "heritage of the state" and the issue of handing over lions has become a political issue. Mangubhai Patel, then State Forest Minister, went on record to state that: There

2322-547: The Serengeti ecoregion . The plan is to reintroduce a pride or two of wild, free-ranging Asiatic lions from Gir Forest in the neighboring Indian state of Gujarat to start with. In compliance with the Supreme Court order of 15 April 2013, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has constituted a panel for deciding the best course of action in translocation of animals to Gir. The panel comprises 12 members including member secretary National Tiger Conservation Authority ,

2408-561: The Uganda kob (a grazing antelope ) and the marine iguana, males defend the lek site which is used only for mating. Many species demonstrate polyterritoriality, referring to the act of claiming or defending more than one territory. In the European pied flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca ), researchers assert that males exhibit polyterritoriality to deceive females of the species into entering into polygynous relationships. This hypothesis, named

2494-508: The deception hypothesis, claims that males have territories at distances sufficiently great that females are unable to discern already-mated males. The observation that males travelled long distances, ranging from 200m to 3.5 km, to find a second mate supports this argument. The debate about polyterritoriality in this species may initiate research about the evolution and reasons for polyterritoriality in other unrelated species. Vadodara Too Many Requests If you report this error to

2580-487: The Asiatic lion in its habitat in from 1986 onwards and collected fundamental data about the lion, its feeding, use of habitat and ranging habits. Key findings of the study were that the lions largely preyed upon wild herbivores such as sambar ( Rusa unicolor ) and chital ( Axis axis ) and that the size of home range was 70 square kilometres (27 sq mi) for females and 140 square kilometres (54 sq mi) for

2666-514: The Central Government was Rs.15 crores. Major gaps remain in the implementation of the rehabilitation measures, with villagers alleging that they have got little of the rehabilitation package they were promised. The negative economic impact of the displacement to villagers from Kuno sanctuary has raised a controversy over the merits of species preservation via dislocation of human populations living inside Protected Areas. NGOs , such as

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2752-476: The Chief Wildlife Wardens of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, member Wildlife Institute of India , and scientists Drs Ravi Chellam, Y.V. Jhala , NK Ranjeet Singh and PR Sinha. The panel will advise both the states on technical aspect of translocation, decide the composition of animals to be translocated, select the prides and animals, supervise the translocation, monitor it and periodically report to

2838-465: The Gir Forest and assuring the viability of the captive population and alternative genetic resources. The PHVA deliberations were followed by visits to the three most promising site, viz Kuno, Darrah-Jawaharsagar and Sitamata WLS by a survey team of WII headed by Dr Ravi Chellam . The team evaluated sites over various parameters and compared the same with respect to Gir Forest for determining the suitability of sites. They presented their findings in 1995 to

2924-640: The Government of India and the state forest departments. WII researchers confirmed that the Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary was the most promising location to re-establish a free ranging population of the Asiatic lions and in 2007 certified it ready to receive its first batch of translocated lions. The framework of the Lion Introduction Project emerged from the transformation of a Monitoring Committee, set up by

3010-468: The Government of India, which met on 10 March 2004 for effective implementation of the reintroduction at Kuno. At the meeting the WII Site Survey was examined and it was understood that Kuno Palpur Sanctuary was the most suitable site for reintroduction. The Committee formulated a three phase framework for the conservation project to last for two decades as follows : At that point in time,

3096-479: The Kuno sanctuary was not suitable lion habitat and that it had inadequate prey base, that MP had been unable to provide adequate protection to tigers in its Panna National Park and the lions if reintroduced there would be in danger, that the proposed introduction of Southern African cheetahs to Kuno rendered it unsuitable for lion reintroduction. The Gujarat State Wildlife Department proposed new homes for lions in

3182-465: The Ministry. During the first deliberations on 29 July 2013, the panel acceded the need to follow the recent IUCN translocation guidelines but brushed aside Gujarat's objections against the process. A two-member team comprising Dr Ravi Chellam and Dr Y.V. Jhala has been set up to decide the translocation protocol and report within six weeks. Gujarat objected to meeting of the 12-member panel on 29 July 2013 before its petition had been reviewed and also to

3268-506: The absence of females, but the presence of a female in a male's territory instigates comparably greater aggression between the neighbours. In the Skylark ( Alauda arvensis ), playbacks of neighbour and stranger songs at three periods of the breeding season show that neighbours are dear enemies in the middle of the season, when territories are stable, but not at the beginning of the breeding season, during settlement and pair formation, nor at

3354-432: The animal is present, but can travel long distances and over varied habitats. Examples of animals which use auditory signals include birds, frogs and canids. Wolves advertise their territories to other packs through a combination of scent marking and howling. Under certain conditions, wolf howls can be heard over areas of up to 130 km (50 sq mi). When howling together, wolves harmonize rather than chorus on

3440-527: The argument that translocation would break social bonds between members of groups or prides, which are vital for lion survival. The reported presence of tiger cubs in Palpur-Kuno was emphasised, saying that it could result in conflict between these top predators. The state proposed, instead, a second home for lions within Gujarat itself, claiming it would have numerous advantages including being in tune with international guidelines. The continued reluctance of

3526-582: The bird (i.e. badge) is highly visible when it sings (vocal marking) at the boundary of its territory. The ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta ) advertises its territory with urine scent marks. When it is urinating for marking purposes, it holds its extremely distinctive tail high in the air adding a visual component to the advertisement; when it is urinating for eliminative purposes, its tail is only slightly raised. Rhinoceros have poor vision but may use visual marking. Dominant white rhino bulls mark their territory with faeces and urine (olfactory marking). The dung

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3612-434: The body with urine), to communicate. Many ungulates , for example the blue wildebeest , use scent marking from two glands, the preorbital gland and a scent gland in the hoof . Territorial scent marking may involve behaviours specific to this activity. When a wolf marks its territory , it lifts a hind leg and urinates on a scent post (usually an elevated position like a tree, rock, or bush). This raised leg urination

3698-471: The case and delivered a judgement on 16 April 2013 permitting the reintroduction of lions to Kuno, over-ruling the objections of the Gujarat Government. The Gujarat Government filed on 1 July 2013 for a review in the Supreme Court of its 16 April ruling. In its petition, the Gujarat state government claimed that "top carnivores have never been successfully translocated". The state has put forward

3784-488: The case of redlip blenny . This is because the conspecifics share exactly the same set of resources. Several types of resource in a territory may be defended. Food: Large solitary (or paired) carnivores, such as bears and the bigger raptors require an extensive protected area to guarantee their food supply. This territoriality only breaks down when there is a glut of food, for example when grizzly bears are attracted to migrating salmon . Food related territoriality

3870-424: The conservation biology of the Asiatic lion such as monitoring, habitat (further subdivided into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan sub-groups), population modelling, prey-base requirements, lion-human interactions, translocation, captive zoo animals, public education, veterinary, reproductive and genetic aspects etc. The sites were assessed and ranked for suitability as follows: The PHVA report strongly favoured

3956-567: The core area and rehabilitated by the state government with assistance from the Central Government. Due to a paucity of suitable revenue lands in the vicinity of Kuno, the state government proposed relocating the villages on degraded protected forests, a move approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) of the Government of India, which granted its approval under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 for diversion of 3,395.9 hectares (8,391 acres). By 2002–2003, all 24 villages and

4042-576: The end, when bird density increases due to the presence of young birds becoming independent. Thus, this dear enemy territoriality relationship is not a fixed pattern but a flexible one likely to evolve with social and ecological circumstances. Some species of bees also exhibit territoriality to defend mating sites. For example, in Euglossa imperialis , a non-social bee species, males have been observed to occasionally form aggregations of fragrance-rich territories, considered to be leks. These leks serve only

4128-574: The existing fauna at Kuno. The Madhya Pradesh state forest department notified 345 square kilometres (133 sq mi) of the Kuno Palpur area as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1981. In April 2002, a separate Wildlife Division was established for Kuno, effectively increasing the protected area for wildlife to 1,268.861 square kilometres (489.910 sq mi). Twenty four villages of the Sahariya tribe, comprising 1545 families, were moved out from

4214-430: The genus Acmaea, predatory snails, and sessile organisms such as anemones and barnacles. Nests and offspring: Many birds, particularly seabirds, nest in dense communities but are nonetheless territorial in defending their nesting site to within the distance they can reach while brooding. This is necessary to prevent attacks on their own chicks or nesting material from neighbours. Commonly the resulting superimposition of

4300-821: The geography. The size is usually a compromise of resource needs, defense costs, predation pressure and reproductive needs. Some species of squirrels may claim as much as 10 hectares (25 acres) of territory. For European badgers , a home range may be as small as 30 hectares (74 acres) in a good rural habitat, but as large as 300 hectares (740 acres) in a poor habitat. On average, a territory may be approximately 50 hectares (120 acres), with main setts normally at least 500 metres (1,600 ft) apart. In urban areas, territories can be as small as 5 hectares (12 acres), if they can obtain enough food from bird tables, food waste or artificial feeding in suburban gardens. Spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta ) have highly variable territory sizes, ranging from less than 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) in

4386-489: The greatest threat to the resident territory-holder. In territory defence by groups of animals, reciprocal altruism can operate whereby the cost to the benefactor in helping defend the territory is less than the gains to the beneficiary. An animal chooses its territory by deciding what part of its home range it will defend. In selecting a territory, the size and quality play crucial roles in determining an animal's habitat. Territory size generally tends to be no larger than

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4472-588: The ground nearby, thereby leaving a visual advertisement of the territory. This includes domestic dogs . Several species scratch or chew trees leaving a visual mark of their territory. This is sometimes combined with rubbing on the tree which may leave tufts of fur. These include the Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) and the American black bear ( Ursus americanus ). Many animals have scent glands in their paws or deposit fur during tree-marking, so tree-marking may be

4558-404: The identified families were relocated outside Kuno and the former village area converted into grasslands. The Madhya Pradesh state government informed the Supreme Court that each family was given 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of cultivable land, in addition to 500 square metres (600 sq yd) for housing along with building constructional material costing Rs 1,00,000/- per house. The net outflow to

4644-560: The importance of Kuno-Palpur as a corridor for migrating tigers between Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan and Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh had been downplayed. As of December 2017, Madhya Pradesh still has not received lions from Gujarat. For this reason, it may have given up on trying to acquire them. As of October 2018, the lions were still in Gujarat, and 23 of them were found dead. 4 of them had died of canine distemper virus , which killed 1,000 East African lions in

4730-755: The lions as they lived in social prides. The turn-around of stance has been attributed by environmentalists supporting the translocation to Narendra Modi who had as Chief Minister of Gujarat stated that the lion was the pride of Gujarat and had publicly declared his opposition to the transfer of lions outside the state. Territory (animal) In ethology , territory is the sociographical area that an animal consistently defends against conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against animals of other species ) using agonistic behaviors or (less commonly) real physical aggression . Animals that actively defend territories in this way are referred to as being territorial or displaying territorialism . Territoriality

4816-460: The males. In 1990, the WII proposed the creation of a second wild population of Asiatic lions to safeguard the species against potential calamities in Gujarat's Gir National Park. Project Lion is an Indian government initiative to conserve the Asiatic lion species that was announced on 15 August 2020 during the 74th independence day celebrations by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi . It will be under

4902-426: The mornings when plants are richest in nectar. In species that do not form pair bonds, male and female territories are often independent, i.e. males defend territories only against other males and females only against other females. In this case, if the species is polygynous , one male territory probably contains several female territories, while in some polyandrous species such as the northern jacana , this situation

4988-566: The most combative spiders have the largest territories. Some species of penguin defend their nests from intruders trying to steal the pebbles from which the nest is constructed. Mating opportunities: The striped mouse ( Rhabdomys pumilio ) is group living with one single breeding male and up to 4 communally breeding females per group. Groups typically contain several philopatric adult sons (and daughters) that are believed not to breed in their natal group and all group members participate in territorial defence. Males defend their territory using

5074-418: The nest site entrance to establish their territory. Wombats use feces to mark their territory. They have evolved specialized intestinal anatomy to produce cubical feces to ensure the feces do not roll away. Visual sign-posts may be a short-term or long-term mode of advertising a territory. Short-term communication includes the colouration or behaviour of the animal, which can only be communicated when

5160-407: The organism requires to survive, because defending a larger territory incurs greater energy, time and risk of injury costs. For some animals, the territory size is not the most important aspect of territoriality, but rather the quality of the defended territory. Behavioural ecologists have argued that food distribution determines whether a species is territorial or not, however, this may be too narrow

5246-715: The other. They also did not engage in physical contact with the territorial males. On the other hand, territorial males patrolled an area around a tree and used the same territory for up to 49 days. It also appeared that they gave up territories to new males without violence. Males defend territories solely for mating, and no other resources such as fragrances, nests, nest construction materials, nectar, or pollen are found at these territories. Although most territories contain multiple (potential) resources, some territories are defended for only one purpose. European blackbirds may defend feeding territories that are distant from their nest sites, and in some species that form leks, for example in

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5332-481: The overlaps in their home ranges using their anogenital scent glands . To do this, they perform a handstand to mark vertical surfaces, grasping the highest point with their feet while applying the scent. In the Eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica , both sexes have glands that evolved for marking the nest. Males, although they have the gland, are unable to produce the marking substance. Females secrete it near

5418-407: The paths, thus establishing a scent-marked trail. Another method of visually marking their territory is wiping their horns on bushes or the ground and scraping with the feet, although this is likely combined with the smell of the marking animal. The territorial male scrape-marks every 30 m (98 ft) or so around its territory boundary. After leaving a urination mark, some animals scrape or dig

5504-457: The population annually because of ever increasing competition between the human and animal overcrowding. Asiatic lion prides require large territories but there is limited space at Gir wildlife sanctuary, which is boxed in on all sides by heavy human habitation. Gir lions have started moving outwards from the sanctuary and establishing homes outside the protected areas. The lions are now spread over 16,000 square kilometres (6,200 sq mi) in

5590-529: The presence of tiger experts on the panel, claiming that lion experts from Gujarat had been ignored, however that petition was rejected by the Supreme Court. In a further development, in April 2015, the Union government has admitted that Madhya Pradesh will have to enlarge the wildlife sanctuary's size, from 349 square kilometres (135 sq mi) to 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) in order to implement

5676-723: The project was in Phase II and 18 of the 24 villages had been rehabilitated from Kuno. The refusal of Gujarat state to provide lions was mentioned during this meeting by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Gujarat. A number of steps were approved with consensus which included the engaging of the Gujarat State Government as to the necessity of the project, preparation of a trans-location road map, fresh assessment of prey base of Kuno by WII and continued funding support for welfare measures and habitat improvement for

5762-439: The reason for such protective behaviour is to acquire and protect food sources, nesting sites, mating areas, or to attract a mate. Among birds, territories have been classified as six types. Reports of territory size can be confused by a lack of distinction between home range and the defended territory. The size and shape of a territory can vary according to its purpose, season, the amount and quality of resources it contains, or

5848-411: The reintroduction. An enclosure was created with a 3 metres (9.8 ft) high barbed wire fence within the sanctuary in which the lions were temporarily housed before being released in the sanctuary. Initially the lions prospered increasing in number to four in 1958, five in 1960, seven in 1962 and eleven in 1965 after which the population died out inexplicably. Johnsingh (2006) attributes the failure of

5934-724: The resident is present. Other animals may use more long-term visual signals such as faecal deposits, or marks on the vegetation or ground. Visual marking of territory is often combined with other modes of animal communication. Some animals have prominent "badges" or visual displays to advertise their territory, often in combination with scent marking or auditory signals. Male European robins are noted for their highly aggressive territorial behaviour. They attack other males that stray into their territories, and have been observed attacking other small birds without apparent provocation. Such attacks sometimes lead to fatalities, accounting for up to 10% of adult robin deaths in some areas. The red breast of

6020-418: The risk of injury. This is ritualized aggression . Such defense frequently involves a graded series of behaviours or displays that include threatening gestures (such as vocalizations, spreading of wings or gill covers, lifting and presentation of claws, head bobbing, tail and body beating) and finally, direct attack. Territories may be held by an individual, a mated or unmated pair, or a group. Territoriality

6106-408: The rival is a hawk). Another strategy used in territory defence is the war of attrition . In this model of aggression, two contestants compete for a resource by persisting while constantly accumulating costs over the time that the contest lasts. Strategically, the game is an auction in which the prize goes to the player with the highest bid, and each player pays the loser's low bid. Some animals use

6192-514: The same note, thus creating the illusion of there being more wolves than there actually are. Wolves from different geographic locations may howl in different fashions: the howls of European wolves are much more protracted and melodious than those of North American wolves, whose howls are louder and have a stronger emphasis on the first syllable. Animals use a range of behaviours to intimidate intruders and defend their territories, but without engaging in fights which are expensive in terms of energy and

6278-460: The scent frequently displays a flehmen response to assist in detecting the mark. Scent marking is often performed by scent rubbing in many mammals. In many mammal species, scent marking is more frequent during the breeding season . Bears and felids such as leopards and jaguars scent-mark by urinating on or rubbing against vegetation. Prosimians and New World monkeys also use scent marking, including urine washing ( self-anointing

6364-486: The scientific management of reintroduction of Asiatic lions to another site: The overwhelming consensus of the Workshop was that an alternative habitat for the Asiatic lion must be established with all possible speed, but without compromise of the accepted strategies and principles governing systematic and scientific reintroduction. This should be done simultaneously with strengthening effective protection and management of

6450-511: The short-range repulsion onto the long-range attraction characteristically leads to the well-known roughly hexagonal spacing of nests. One gets a similar hexagonal spacing resulting from the territorial behaviour of gardening limpets such as species of Scutellastra . They vigorously defend their gardens of particular species of algae, that extend for perhaps 1–2 cm around the periphery of their shells. The desert grass spider, Agelenopsis aperta , often engages in fights over its territory and

6536-569: The species in the country. The six new potential sites are: In 1993, a workshop was held on the Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) of Asiatic lion and the report was presented to the state forest departments in Vadodara , Gujarat. State forest departments were asked to suggest suitable sites for reintroduction and provide the basic ecological data. During the workshop, a number of teams were formed to focus on varied aspects of

6622-455: The state to part with lions for translocation has come under criticism from prominent environmentalists. Post the verdict, fears have been voiced by Gujarati environmentalists over the gun culture of Madhya Pradesh and number of firearms in Sheopur, the region where the Kuno Palpur sanctuary is located and it is suggested that translocation to such an area would be in violation of IUCN norms on

6708-443: The subject. With the release of IUCN guidelines on translocation, opponents of the project have cited from the provisions and also claimed that the history of translocations especially in India is dismal and hence translocation is not favoured. The natural spread of over-populated lions from an original range of over 1,412 square kilometres (545 sq mi) to an area extending over 10,500 square kilometres (4,100 sq mi),

6794-449: The territory is occupied and may also communicate additional information such as the sex, reproductive status or dominance status of the territory-holder. Sign-posts may communicate information by olfactory , auditory, or visual means, or a combination of these. If an intruder progresses further into the territory beyond the sign-posts and encounters the territory-holder, both animals may begin ritualized aggression toward each other. This

6880-412: The translocation of the Asiatic lions to Kuno-Palpur from Gujarat's Sasan Gir, a suggestion made in the original project report. This is the first time that the Government of India has accepted that the sanctuary needs to be enlarged. However, the expansion would require the relocation of several big villages, a move the Madhya Pradesh government is not keen to undertake. The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department

6966-561: The translocation to three causes – inadequate area, lack of systematic monitoring using scientific techniques and unrestricted movement of grazing animals throughout the sanctuary possibly leading to conflict with herders. Small size of area, the long period of captivity in Junagadh zoo, absence of education of the local villagers and lack of conflict resolution mechanisms are also listed as contributory factors in Chellam and Johnsingh (1999). The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) began studying

7052-508: The vicinity of 1050 villages in four contiguous districts - Amreli , Gir Somnath , Bhavnagar and Junagadh . The Maharaja of Gwalior , on being encouraged by Lord Curzon in 1904, imported cubs of African lions and attempted to introduce them in the wild in the forests near Sheopur. The introduced lions took to raiding livestock and some even turned to man-eating , subsequent to which they were all eventually tracked down and shot. The concept of reintroduction for purposes of conservation

7138-705: The villages adjoining the Sasan Gir region on 18 April 2013 protesting the Supreme Court decision. In light of the State Government of Gujarat's refusal to permit the reintroduction of Asiatic lions, a writ petition was filed in 1995 by the Centre for Environment Law and WWF-I in the Indian Supreme Court to get the Gujarat State Government to release a few prides of Asiatic lions for the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. The Indian Supreme Court fast-tracked

7224-474: The wood and spreading the gland's secretions. When on the ground, ring-tailed lemurs preferentially mark small saplings and when high in the trees, they usually mark small vertical branches. European wildcats ( Felis silvestris ) deposit their faecal marks on plants with high visual conspicuousness that enhances the visual effectiveness of the signal. Many animals use vocalisations to advertise their territory. These are short-term signals transmitted only when

7310-461: Was a "family member", hence could not be provided for translocation to Kuno. This stand of Gujarat suffered a setback when on 15 April 2013, the Supreme Court of India acknowledged translocation to Kuno as being in the best interest of the species and rejected the Gujarat Government's objections, instead ordering the translocation to be carried out within six months. A bandh was called in

7396-768: Was accepted in 1956 by the Indian Wildlife Board during a meeting of their executive committee at Sasan Gir and the offer by the state government of Uttar Pradesh to host a second population in the Chakia forests was accepted. In 1956 one lion and two lionesses were captured from Gir, placed in the Sakkarbuagh Zoo in Junagadh for nine months and then translocated in 1957 to the 96 square kilometres (37 sq mi) Chandra Prabha Sanctuary , near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and newly established for

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