Gir lost 240 lions in 2 years, says Gujarat govt

AHMEDABAD: The Gir Sanctuary and National Park - the only abode of the Asiatic lions - has lost 240 lions over the past two years. These deaths account for nearly 36% of Gir's lion population, necessitating stepping up of the state's wildlife conservation efforts.
The state government told the Gujarat assembly on Tuesday that Gir sanctuary and adjoining areas lost 240 lions including 128 cubs to natural and unnatural causes over the past two years ending on December 31, 2022.

These figures were provided by the state government in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar on Tuesday. In May 2020, the state government had estimated the lion population at 674, a 29% increase over 2015's figure of 523.
The government also stated in the assembly that it has sought financial aid for lion conservation under 12 different heads, but the central government has not released any funds. However, the forest officials defended the Centre, saying it was still in the process of finalizing Project Lion and hence the grants are yet to be released.
In 2021, the government put the figure for lion deaths at 124; this dropped to 116 in 2022.
Of the 240 lion deaths in the past two years, 53 were males and 59 were females. In all, 214 lions were lost to natural causes and 26 - 13 each in 2021 and 2022 - to unnatural causes. However, forest officials defend their conservation efforts, saying the number of deaths has been declining since 2020 when it was 159.
Wildlife experts and researchers said that the alarm bells had gone off in 2018 itself when an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) killed 34 lions. "The numbers have been on the higher side since the outbreak of CDV in 2018. The government has always classified death due to disease as natural death," said a senior officer.
An expert on big cats refusing to be quoted said that of the 240 deaths in two years, 53% are cubs. According to research, around 50% of the cubs get killed in infighting or are victims of cannibalism. This means on average 120 to 140 cubs are born every year in Gujarat.
The expert said, "Not every death can be accounted for. These figures are arrived at on the basis of carcasses. There could be deaths that have gone unreported. The government should minutely examine the cause of every death and maintain transparency in sharing details."
Another expert says "The high number of deaths reveals two possibilities. Either it could be a disease that is claiming the lions and has not been reported or the lion population is too high."
The state government in the reply stated that it has taken various steps to prevent unnatural deaths of big cats such as appointment of veterinary doctors and introduction of an ambulance service for timely intervention and treatment of lions and other wild animals.