Mumbai now seems to be the only hope for a three-month-old lion cub from Silvassa Lion Safari. Undergoing treatment at the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) hospital, Parel since Monday for convulsions, the male cub is under the observation of veterinarians from Bombay Veterinary College (BVC).
Wildlife experts, however, have raised eyebrows over admitting an animal belonging to Schedule I species at the BSPCA, which they claimed should not have been the ideal choice. The cub should have been taken to either Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) or Byculla Zoo, both of which have expertise in treating wild animals, they said.
Dr Vijay Parmar Veterinarian of Silvassa Lion Safari, who along with forest officials are in Mumbai along with the cub, told DNA that the treatment is being carried out under Dr GV Gaikwad, Head of Department of Medicine.
The cub was born on September 28 to Mahin and Girija. “After aro-und a month, we found that Girija was not lactating properly. Fearing for the cub’s health, we took to hand-feeding it,” said Parmar.
Around 10 days ago, the cub started suffering from convulsions. Though treatment was initiated, there was no improvement. “Then we contacted BVC, and on Monday the cub was brought to BSPCA ,” said Parmar.
Officials from Silvassa safari said the cub is the only one since 2002—when the lion safari was inaugurated—to survive for more than a couple of days.
Despite several messages and phone calls, Lt Col (Dr) JC Khanna, Secretary of BSPCA, refused to comment.
