Robbers in India’s Uttar Pradesh state had better be hoping for the luck of Daniel. A pride of lions is to be unleashed in a bandit-infested part of the state in what is reminiscent of the Biblical tale in which Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. He survived unscathed, and credited God.

But environmentalists fear the lions might be the ones needing divine help in the face of sharp-shooting bandits blamed by police for 4,000 abductions and 180 murders in the region over the last five years.

“We have already contacted zoos within the country for the lions,” Uttar Pradesh chief wildlife warden Mohammed Hasan told AFP in the state capital of Lucknow.

The lions would be part of a safari park. Hasan said he has asked the Indian government and Supreme Court for permission to establish the park in the crime-prone district of Itawah, a gateway to the desolate Chambal ravines where the bandits make their lairs.

“We have chalked out an area of 150 hectares (371 acres) and have plans to begin with five lions: two males and three females,” said Hasan.

Itawah police chief Daljit Singh Choudhary gave a roar of approval.

“The setting up of a lion safari will lessen the activity of the dacoits (bandits) in the ravines,” he said.

“Once the safari is set up, the place will be lit up and there will be constant movement in the area both by tourists and officials. As a result it can no longer remain a hideout for dacoits,” he argued.

The chambal ravines have been a haven for outlaws for centuries.
A previous attempt to establish such a sanctuary in the region of Chandraprabha, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, initially appeared to succeed. The lion population grew from three to 11 animals, but then the cats disappeared, presumably shot or poisoned.

Conservationists were aghast at the latest plans.

“It is the most absurd, the most ridiculous plan we have ever come across because the lions will be used for target practice by Chambal’s not-so-nice residents,” said Belinda Wright, founder of the privately-run Wildlife Protection Society of India.

“It will be a waste of money… It will never take off,” she said.

“Forget chasing away dacoits. The dacoits will kill these cats,” agreed Qamar Qureshi, a scientist with The Wildlife Institute of India.