AHMEDABAD: The two-day lion census scheduled to be held from May 2 will
be the biggest ever since the formation of the state and will be
conducted with the help of GPS technology to record the exact location
of lions. The GPS will also enable the forest officials to prepare a
detailed map about the locations of the lions over the map of
Saurashtra.
Officials said that since lion is a Schedule I animal, observers from the centre government and the Wildlife Institute of India will join the census. The 2010 census had revealed a count of 411 lions.
According to officials, the handheld GPS will be given to each enumerator. A team of about 2,500 enumerators and other officials will be part of the census which will be spread over 22,000 sq km area —from Jamnagar through Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar to Botad districts in Saurashtra.
In 2010, a few GPS-enabled handsets had been used on an experimental basis. "However, now each team will be given a handset. With the help of GPS, the forest department will be able to have the exact location of the lion and its pride in the area and even spot them on the map of Gujarat,'' said officials.
Apart from mapping the lions, officials will record the movement of the lions and their location with details of the area and direction about the movement. The entire Saurashtra region will be distributed into 10 divisions and each division will have 12 zones under it for the counting process.
For the first time, the census will cover an area of 22,000 sq km, the largest area covered so far. The 2010 census covered an area of 10,000 sq km.
The officials said that the main focus of the enumerators would be on the water points, including the rivers. The census will be for two days in two different rounds and each round will be for 24 hours beginning at 2pm. This methodology will ensure that the animal will definitely come to the water point during the day and thus be counted.
Officials said that since lion is a Schedule I animal, observers from the centre government and the Wildlife Institute of India will join the census. The 2010 census had revealed a count of 411 lions.
According to officials, the handheld GPS will be given to each enumerator. A team of about 2,500 enumerators and other officials will be part of the census which will be spread over 22,000 sq km area —from Jamnagar through Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar to Botad districts in Saurashtra.
In 2010, a few GPS-enabled handsets had been used on an experimental basis. "However, now each team will be given a handset. With the help of GPS, the forest department will be able to have the exact location of the lion and its pride in the area and even spot them on the map of Gujarat,'' said officials.
Apart from mapping the lions, officials will record the movement of the lions and their location with details of the area and direction about the movement. The entire Saurashtra region will be distributed into 10 divisions and each division will have 12 zones under it for the counting process.
For the first time, the census will cover an area of 22,000 sq km, the largest area covered so far. The 2010 census covered an area of 10,000 sq km.
The officials said that the main focus of the enumerators would be on the water points, including the rivers. The census will be for two days in two different rounds and each round will be for 24 hours beginning at 2pm. This methodology will ensure that the animal will definitely come to the water point during the day and thus be counted.
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