Asiatic Lion

Gujarat records 307 Asiatic lion deaths in 2 yrs, 41 unnatural: Minister

At least 307 Asiatic lions died in Gujarat in the last two years, and 41 of these fatalities occurred due to unnatural causes, state Forest Minister Mulubhai Bera has told the legislative assembly. Responding to a query raised by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Umesh Makwana during the Question Hour on Wednesday, he said the state government spent Rs 37.35 crore on various measures during these two years to check unnatural deaths of lions. While 141 lions died between August 2023 and July 2024, the deaths of 166 big cats were reported between August 2024 and July 2025, Bera told the House. Of these 307 lions, 41 were killed due to unnatural causes. While 20 felines died after falling into wells, nine others drowned in other water bodies. Other causes include natural calamity (two lions), road accident (two), run over by trains (five) and electric shock (three), he said. The state government has taken various steps to curb the unnatural deaths of big cats, such as setting up centres for t

Asiatic lion population rises 32% in five years, reaches 891: Report

On World Lion Day, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India draws immense pride from being home to the Asiatic lion.

Asiatic lion population in Gujarat rises to 891 from 674 in five years

The estimated population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat has increased to 891 against 674 five years ago as per the census conducted this month, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced on Wednesday. In the previous census conducted in June 2020, the big cat population in the state was estimated at 674. "Estimated population of Asiatic lions has increased to 891," Patel told reporters here. The 16th Asiatic lion census, a four-day exercise, was conducted from May 10 to 13 in two phases, covering an area of 35,000 square kilometres across 11 districts. While a preliminary census was conducted on May 10 and 11, the final population count was done on May 12 and 13 with the help of 3,000 volunteers including regional, zonal and sub-zonal officers, enumerators, assistant enumerators and inspectors, said an official release. The exercise covered 58 talukas. The 11 districts where lions are found are Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar,

PM Modi chairs Wildlife Board meet in Gujarat, announces lion census

Soon after completing his lion safari at Gir National Park in the morning, Modi headed for the NBWL meeting, at Sasan in Gujarat's Junagadh district

555 Asiatic lions died in five years, no rise in mortality rate, says Govt

A total 555 Asiatic lions died in the last five years but there has been no increase in their mortality rate, the government told the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Gir forest in Gujarat is the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lion. According to government data, the number of these big cats in Gir rose from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020. Replying to a question, Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lower House that 555 lions died in the last five years. He said 113 lions died in 2019, 124 in 2020, 105 in 2021, 110 in 2022 and 103 in 2023. Asked if an increasing number of lions were dying in the country, the minister replied in the negative. Over the years, experts have demanded the translocation of lions in India as the big cats have been geographically isolated in Gir. A second home would protect the lion population from extinction in case of an epidemic, an unexpected decline in prey or natural calamities. In September 2018, 27 lions died in Gir becau

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary new translocation site for Asiatic lions

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, located near the coastal city of Porbandar and 100 kilometres from the Gir National Park, has been identified as a potential second home for Asiatic lions, according to the government. Efforts were being made since the 1990s to find a relocation site for the Asiatic lions within Gujarat and outside the state, considering that the species is vulnerable to extinction threats from epidemics because of low genetic diversity. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the government to translocate Asiatic lions from Gujarat to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh within six months. It had also rejected a proposal to introduce the African cheetah in Kuno. After the apex court allowed the introduction of African cheetah in India on an experimental basis in January 2020, eight cheetahs from Namibia have been reintroduced in Kuno, but the translocation of lions is still pending. Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lok Sabha

Project Lion to clean energy: On I-Day, PM announces plans for environment

He announced the government's big plans for Ladakh, which became a union territory in 2019

Population of Gir lions rises by 29%; kudos to people of Gujarat, says PM

Participation of the local population has helped, and habitat has improved

Guj's lion count rises to 674 from 523, PM hopes positive trend continues

The territory or the distribution area of the big cat has also increased by 36 per cent from 22,000 square kilometres to 30,000 km during the same period

Jungle raj in Gir

The Asiatic lion has become a victim of state chauvinism