Kesar Mangoes Keri Productions Junagadh District News Saurashtra Gujarat India

“Kesar Mangoes (Keri) ripen in December” farmers, scientists baffled.

There is a brighter side to everything, and the saying also applies to global warming.

Even as global warming is being debated hotly in Copenhagen, mango farmers like Chandubhai Ghesadiya are smiling in mid winter as a fully ripe crop of the famous Kesar mango (Keri) in December has come as a pleasant surprise for farmers in Junagadh State.

"It's a miracle. I have never seen this before. For the first time in 2009, I have seen this occurrence," says mango farmer Chandubhai Ghesadiya.

Chandubhai's fellow farmer Vipul Akbari is equally puzzled.

"Original mangoes normally ripen in May or June," points out another mango farmer Vipulbhai Akbari.

Kesar mangos are grown over 1, 10,000 acres in Gujarat and the annual production is in excess of 12,000 metric tonnes. But the mango is extremely sensitive to climate changes and their ripening in December is a dangerous trend.

Agriculture research scientists are now looking at possible ways to make the Kesar variety more resistant to climate changes.

"There is a need for new research for mango. It's a challenge for the scientist community. We have started research for a resistant variety to global warming," Research Scientist in Junagadh Agricultural University says Dr RR Viradiya.

For the moment though, farmers like Chandubhai are happy, as the off-season mangoes are selling at Rs 1700 for a box of 10 kilos, 10 times the normal price.

Sasan Gir National Park Junagadh District News Samachar Gujarat India

Gujarat State govt to oppose proposal to shift lions from Gir at Delhi meet.

The Gujarat government will oppose the long-pending proposal of shifting a few Asiatic lions from Sasan Gir to Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh, when this contentious issue comes up for discussion at a crucial meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife in Delhi on Wednesday.

Gujarat Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Pradeep Khanna told Newsline in the evening: “Gujarat’s stand on the issue of trans-locating Gir lions has been consistent. We will resist any move to shift the big cats from Gir to Kuno Palpur, when it is taken up for discussion at the Board meeting tomorrow.”

Khanna and Principal Secretary (Forest) S K Nanda will attend the Board meeting to be chaired by Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh. He said the Kuno wildlife sanctuary project mooted by Madhya Pradesh lacked scientific backing and security. Besides, there are only 300 of the total 1,000 tigers surviving in MP. “If the neighbouring state cannot protect its tigers, how can it protect lions?” he asked.

The PCCF also contended that tigers and lions cannot survive together in Kuno Palpur.

In response to a petition filed in the Supreme Court by a Delhi-based NGO for the transfer of Gir lions to MP, the apex court had referred the matter to the National Board for Wildlife and asked it to submit a report in the matter. After hearing the representatives from both Gujarat and MP at the Wednesday meeting, the Board will submit its report on the issue to the SC, sources said.

At the meeting, Gujarat will also seek the Board’s permission for implementation on the Girnar Ropeway project in Junagadh. Gujarat proposes to acquire about eight hectares of forest land, where there are about 12,000 trees, for construction of pillars for the ropeway project. “Though there are about 12,000 trees standing on the forest land, the axe will fall only on 200 to 300 trees,” said a senior Forest official.

The Board will also hear Gujarat’s plea for laying a high tension electric line, and also the ONGC and IOC oil pipelines across the Wild Ass Sanctuary in Kutch. “We hope the Board will give its nod to both the proposals,” Khanna said.

Junagadh News - One Friendly Snake Wrangler

Mangarol Junagadh Saurastra has its friendly neighbourhood snake wrangler.

Parvin Parmar is a busy man. A driver by profession, this 35-year-old man from Mangarol in Junagadh district has an alternate identity as well.

He is a snake wrangler.

Parmar regularly receives numerous phone calls to catch snakes. This he does wilfully, as a voluntary service to the people in and around Mangarol.

He also claims to have caught over 10,000 snakes over a period of two decades.

Every day, he catches over 15 snakes from different locations and releases them at safer places, unhurt.

“A fortnight ago, I had captured a nine-foot long python from a village falling under Maliya taluka, and released it in the Gir forest,” Parmar said, adding that he has been fortunate enough not to be bitten by any snake until now.

During the cultivation and harvest seasons, Parmar attends as many as 20-25 calls daily. People in Mangarol know him as a snake expert. Now, his name has reached as far as Porbandar and Keshod. Yet, he has been offering his services without any fees.

“I never charge any money, but people pay me anything between Rs 100 and Rs 200 as compensation for conveyance.It has turned into a hobby.I just want humans and animals to be safe.

Even my family, including my two-year-old daughter,Riddhi, has become familiar with snakes,” Parmar said.

Sasan Gir National Park Junagadh District Gujarat India

If you are in the Gir forests to watch the Asiatic lion, don’t be surprised to find women forest guards in the woods. It’s another male bastion which has been busted.

Gujarat forest department has sought to break the barrier, by introducing for the first time a large number of women guards and foresters in the jungles.

Of the 307 forest guards recruited through special camps in districts over the last one year, 51 are women. And out of 180 foresters recruited at four zonal camps held this May in Surat, Junagadh, Vadodara and Gandhinagar as many as 44 are women.

Till these recruitment, there were just two women working in the forests and both were Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers. Anita Karn is posted in Junagadh and Aradhana Sahu in Mehsana.

Fourteen women foresters have been posted in Gir and their boss, Anita Karn, is happy to have them around. “They have been quite useful in gathering information, carrying out raids and talking to womenfolk in the forests,” she told TOI over phone.

Aradhana Sahu added: “Lady Forest staffers are proving to be extremely useful in every sector, be it joint forest management, in which involvement of village women is critical, or guiding tourists in the wild and guarding wildlife.”

Forest officials in Gandhinagar say the women were recruited on the basis of their physical fitness and knowledge of neighboring forest areas. The physical test included long jump, high jump and rock-climbing. “We are happy such a large number of women applied for the jobs and also made it in the end,” said a senior forest official.

Jungadh Saurastra News

Jungadh (Saurastra)’s Real Hero :-

Briefly translated from Divayabaskar dated 6th June-Friday.

One Deaf Student Who is from Junagadh(Saurastra) got First Rank in 10th(S.S.C.) Exam of March-2008 in State in Special Category of Listening Problem whose name is JAY.

His Full Name is JAY VALLABHBHAI MUNGLPARA.

He said that “When he is only 9 months old, he became Deaf after his Lung’s Operation”.

He was mostly suffered from Illness of his Lungs,So that He was admitted 50 times & more in hospital during his Education Career.

He said that “I lost my Listening Energy not My Confidence.”

Now His will want to became DOCTOR in furure.

He also said “I get First Rank with 84.62% in S.S.C. Exam in Mar.-2008 with my 7 to 8 hours Reading.”

Jay’s Father is Clerk in High School and His Mother is Teacher.

“Because of this Lungs Problem Whenever Jay eat something extra more at soon we had to admitted him to hospital” as his Mother said.

She also added that “Jay also broght his important education notebooks with him,continue his study also in hospital during his treatment.”

Now He want to became DOCTOR in future and want to do research on his illness of Lungs.

Really After read this I remember Swami Vivekanand’s one Line,

“Try again,Try again You will succed at Last.”

And as per this Jay get Success in his 10th (S.S.C.) board Exam of March-2008.

Its really one of the Proud things for all 10th & 12th students of JUNAGADH(SAURASTRA) including Junagadh(Saurastra)’s People also.

Gir National Park News - Junagadh Saurashtra

With mercury registering high temperature with each passing day, the forest authorities in Sasan Gir sanctuary have made arrangements to protect lions and other wild life and domestic animals from being thirsty.

About 215 artificial water points have been made to arrange drinking water for animals.

The wildlife division in Sasan Gir is sending in a large number of tractor-tankers to replenish water holes and is also keeping a watch on movements of the prides.

According to B D Pati, the Chief Conservator of Forests, the drive of creating man-made waterholes is on and a good number of people are involved to make sure that pride of the jungle has no such problem.

"The work of filling water point is on and we are sending a team inside the jungle with tankers. They are keeping it well. We have made several artificial water points and we are filling them regularly wherever we believe that the lions are returning to drink water. A good number of people too are engaged in this drive," B D Patil said.

Wild Life Conservation Trust is one such non-government organization (NGO) that is active in construction of a wall surrounding open wells in the nearby villages, lest the animals from the sanctuary fall into them.

"Actually Sasan Gir is a dry deciduous forest type of area. There are seven parallel rivers, which go dry at times in summers. So to prevent these wild animals to come out of the wild forest and to make sure they get water inside the forest we have installed 200 artificial water points in the sanctuary area," said Kishor Kotecha, Founder, Wild life Conservation Trust.

Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Sasan-Gir) is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions.

Spread over about 258 kilometers for the fully protected area (the National Park) and 1,153 kms for the Sanctuary, the area is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species.

Established in 1965, the total area of 1,412 kms is located about 65 km from Junagadh city of the Junagadh district in Kathiawar peninsula of Gujarat.

Seven rivers that pass through Gir namely Hiran, Saraswati, Datardi, Shingoda, Machhundri, Ghodavadi, and Raval have started drying up.

Less than 250 watering points are presently available for more than 390 lions, 350 leopards, and 40,000 ungulates, including spotted deer, Sambar, Nilgai, Chinkara, antelope, and wild boar.
Besides, Gir harbours 1,000 species of Birds and 26 species of reptiles

Really This is great news for all wild life which are presently live in GIR NATIONAL PARK(SASAN GIR-JUNAGADH) and struggle against Summer.