Viral video of a lion roaming on the streets of Thane turns out to be a video of Gujarat

Viral video of a lion roaming on the streets of Thane turns out to be a video of Gujarat

9/12/2014

Author: Pawan Sharma

The following link article was uploaded by one of the famous newspapers,

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/video-watch-lion-sighted-roaming-the-streets-of-thane-2042066

The article released on 8/12/2014 claimed that a lion was video documented by a police official of Thane on the streets of Ghorbandar road. Our team discovered that it was a video taken at Gujarat and found it on you tube uploaded few days ago.

Following is the link of the video available on you tube posted on 2/12/2014 ,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxl6nPkz5AA

The video went viral on various social networking sites and mobile applications becoming the wildest news of the year end. Our helpline numbers received many calls asking for the authenticity of the news and the video, responding to the hype and a pseudo-distress situation among the citizens and animal lovers of Mumbai and Thane an investigating team was set up with a report sent to the forest department.

The article claimed that a police official had captured this video from his mobile and many suspected that a captive lion had managed to escape from the SGNP (Sanjay Gandhi National Park)

Officials of the Thane forest department and SGNP confirmed that all the lions at the park were in safe and sound in the captivity.

Soon our PR team generated a message and shared it to all possible contacts to counter the wrong message being spread amongst the masses.

The message was as follows,

This news and video has gone viral everywhere in Mumbai and Thane regarding a lion being spotted at Ghorbandar road , Thane.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/video-watch-lion-sighted-roaming-the-streets-of-thane-2042066

But our team has found it not from Thane,

Spoke to the forest department officials and the cops of that jurisdiction, nothing as such is reported.

All our captive lions are safe and sound at SGNP (Sanjay Gandhi National Park)

If we carefully watch and listen to the video we find Gujarati conversation,

Logically if it was video documented by our state cops the language would have been Marathi.



0.21-0.22 sec

Person says

" aavu Toh amme paan nathi joyu "


0.25 sec

 Person says

" Bijo kya Bijo "

0.28-0.30 sec

 Person says

 "bass ubhi rakh ubhi rakh "

0.34 -0.35
Person says
" ubhi rakh ubhi rakh "


Please spread a word

Regards,

Team RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare)

Soon after our messages started becoming popular and were appreciated by the officials of the forest, police as well as other citizens and animal lovers.

Fifth Big Cat dies at Sanjay Gandhi National Park

4 leopards and 1 lioness die in 2 months at Sanjay Gandhi National Park , Mumbai

Author: Pawan Sharma - pawan.resqink@gmail.com

Photo Credits - RAWW archives

16/11/2014

A female leopard succumbed to death in the rescue center at SGNP (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) early morning yesterday 15/11/2014. Sources from the forest department confirmed the death of a female leopard kept in captivity at the rescue center near the captivated lion cage in the park.

This is the fifth big cat within last two months, earlier lioness Shobha and three other leopards had died in unnatural circumstances. Officials at the national park however tried to defend themselves with some or the other reasons. However wildlife lovers close to the park claim that errors are from the side of the concerned authorities in-charge of the well being of the captivated animals.

A wildlife enthusiast close to the park said "The captivated animals are kept in very poor conditions, the enclosures are very small for a leopard to be kept in captivity. The concerned vet is very ignorant towards the captivated animals and looks least interested when it comes to discussions on the captivated animals. I tried to approach him many times but I was never entertained not only by the vet but even higher officials."

National park authorities are now entertaining consulting vets from other places which indicates that they are not self equipped with their own management. Big cats in the country enjoy the highest level of protection no matter weather in wild or captivity. Keeping a track of the wild ones is next to impossible but captivated wildlife can be maintained very well with a systematic and sincere approach towards their well being.

All the wildkinds are property of the state and a state is made up of people. It is very important on the part of the concerned authorities to supply a good flow of information and awareness about the wildkinds kept in captivity. Regular reports of their health check-up's and well being should be made public as they are the tax payers from where major funds and resources are generated.

However it is found that the national park authorities behave in a very secretive manner when  it comes to such matters. A very biased attitude from the side of the national park is being observed since a year. Influential and VIP's have access to all the happenings of the park but many wildlife activists and volunteers who want to help the national park not only the animals but also the staff in various welfare and development projects from grass root to high levels are left disappointed.

Other than this there are many issues within the park authorities and management itself, a source from the forest department who requested not to disclose his identity said "It is difficult to work for the real welfare of the animals due to several departmental complications. We feel sorry for the animals but at the end of the day things are in the hands of our bosses who have the power of making and taking decisions."

"We forest officers especially representing the wildlife wing earn our bread and butter because of the forest and the wildlife it supports, it is very disappointing to see this happening in the work environment" he added.

"According to me the work of vets and animal keepers in which they have failed at the park is to make sure that all the animals in captivity are doing well. The animals are not and will never be happy in captivity but as we humans have captivated them we should take good care of them. Daily visits and check-up's of all the captivated animals should be a practice which is never done. Injured and distressed animals should be properly and seriously treated which is not happening here" he concluded.

The national park is seen taking participation in many initiatives which will he adding to the revenue of the park but the core areas and basic and most prior duties are not being done is what the observation that can be made after following up with the happenings in the park.

If this will be the condition of one of the most unique national park in the world, protected forests of our country's financial capital, captivated wildlife of one of the richest city Mumbai then conservation and wildlife welfare is going to face more tougher times.