The shifting of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh is not likely as the Union Government on Wednesday categorically mentioned that there is no request in this regard from Madhya Pradesh Government is pending.
"No request for immediate transfer of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh has been received from the Government of Madhya Pradesh," Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Dave said in a written reply to a question in lok Sabha.
The minister said the process of translocation of a few Asiatic lions from Gir National Park to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is a "long-term action".
"The whole programme encompasses action for over 25 years. The Ministry of Environment and Forest has constituted an Experts Committee for planning and implementation of translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir to Kuno. The group includes representatives of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat," he said.
Notably, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are locked in a legal battle over the issue for the past few years, with Gandhinagar loath to part with its lions. Officials believe that the lions are "not reaching their new home any sooner in the near future".
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 1989 pushed for a second natural habitat for the Asiatic lions for their long-term conservation and to save them from epidemics.
The Supreme Court in April 2013 ordered "immediate" re-introduction of lions to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh from Gir in Gujarat the only surviving habitat of 523 Asiatic lions in the world.
The court also fixed a six-month deadline for a committee responsible to accomplish the mission under the government's Additional Director General of Forest Wildlife (ADG-Wl).