DCF appointed in Gir (east) division

TNN | Updated: Apr 25, 2020, 10:11 IST

Anshuman Sharma

RAJKOT/SURAT: The state government on Thursday transferred 2008 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) Anshuman Sharma and appointed him as deputy conservator of forest (DCF), Gir (east) division of the Gir wildlife sanctuary.
Sharma is presently the DCF, wildlife division, Banaskantha.
Sharma’s appointment to this crucial area comes at a time when another canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreak looks imminent in three forest ranges - Tulshishyam, Jasadhar and Hadala - that fall under the Gir (east) division. It is suspected that at least 23 lions have died in these three ranges since January, reportedly due to CDV.
The forest department has, however, denied any such outbreak.
Sharma’s first posting as DCF was in Gir (East) division in February 2012. In October 2018, when 23 lions had died due to CDV in Dalkhania forest range, Sharma was appointed for crisis management. He was shunted out of Gir in 2015.
It was on Wednesday that a group of wildlife activists had written to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) urging that several vacant posts in Gir, the last abode of Asiatic lions, should be filled up urgently, considering the recent lion deaths.