Junagadh Gujarat News – Shakkarbaug Zoo 2011

Indian summer too hot for Cheetahs from Singapore.

Authorities in the Shakkarbaug Zoo of Gujarat’s Junagadh Town have removed a pair of Cheetahs received from Singapore in June last year from public view as the animals could not bear the intense heat wave sweeping the state.

The Cheetahs - a male and a female - were brought to Junagadh in exchange for three Asiatic lions which were sent to the Singapore Zoo by the Gujarat government last year.

‘We have removed the Cheetahs from public view as both the animals were found not liking Indian summer temperatures and have been lodged in a private enclosure having a temperature-controlled environment. This is also their first summer in India,’ a senior wing official of the wildlifeJunagadh District forest department told IANS.

He said that the Cheetahs are provided purified drinking water and food approved by veterinary doctors so as to ensure that they do not fall sick. The Cheetahs would be out of public view for a month and would be taken out only when the temperature suits their bodies.

As many as 30 Cheetahs brought by various zoos in India from various countries for breeding purposes during the past two decades have all died as they could not adjust to the harsh Indian climate during summer months, he added.

Junagadh Saurastra News – Girnar Mountaineering Competition

Bhikhu Rathod of Veraval in the men’s category and Kamlesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh in women’s category have won the All India Girnar Mountaineering Competition.The event was held on Sunday at the foot of Girnar mountain in Junagadh(Saurastra).

In the junior category, Poonam Solanki (girls) and Chandresh Solanki (boys) from Una town in Junagadh district emerged winners.

Out of 232 entries received from 17 states, 141 participants took part in the competition. While competitors in the men’s group had to climb up and down 5,000 steps en-route to Ambaji peak, the women competitors had to cover 2,200 steps from Mali Parab peak to Girnar Mountain.

The competition in junior group (men’s) turned out to be tough, as the difference between the time covered by the first and the second winner was just a second.

A large number of spectators turned out since morning at Bhavnath, the venue, at the foot of the Girnar Mountain.

Apart from medals, the three winners in each group were also given prize money of Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively.