Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Rishi]

WII wants proper lion census in Gujarat
Himanshu Kaushik 

*This image is copyright of its original author

AHMEDABAD: Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India have suggested that the state forest department conduct a scientific census so the real number of lions in the state is arrived at, so the Centre and state can chalk out strategies appropriately.

A senior officer who attended the meeting between WII experts and the forest department on Monday, on condition of anonymity, said that the WII and lion expert Yadvendradev Jhala told foresters that while over reporting of numbers is an issue with tigers, the opposite holds true for Gujarat’s lions.

*This image is copyright of its original author

“Jhala told officials that there were more than 600 lions in the state, a fact the state is hiding. Without the proper number, the government cannot properly plan conservation measures,” he said. The officer said this was clear from the fact that CM Vijay Rupani at a function in Junagadh this May had announced that the lion population had reached 600. The figure was announced by Rupani without any census sources.

Gujarat's internal census on August 2017 placed numbers near 650, with 180-odd cubs between 1 to 2 years of age.
Official 2015 lion census put the population of the big cats at 523, an increase of 112 from the 2010 census. From 2010 to 2015, the lion population grew by 112 or 27% increase in population, ie, 5% annually. Reply