Eight lions from Sakkarbaug Zoo of Junagadh in Gujarat will soon be shifted to a zoo in Uttar Pradesh as a part of an animal exchange programme, as per forest officer. Two lions and six lionesses from Sakkarbaug will be shifted to a zoo at Gorakhpur in UP.
After governments of two states agreed on shifting of the lions, a proposal in the form of MOU was sent to the Central Zoo Authority which recently gave its approval for it.Sakkarbaug zoo is the second oldest in the country and the nodal centre for providing Asiatic lions to other zoos and safaris in the state and the country. The CZA permits exchange between zoos after checking whether the host has adequate health facilities and enclosures for the animals.
The Gir wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat is the last abode of Asiatic lions in the world. As per census of 2015, there were 523 lions Gujarat, mainly in the forest areas of Junagadh, Gir-Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts.
