Challenges roar as Gujarat’s ‘pride’ expands its territory .

 

A lioness with her cubs at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat’s Junagadh district.

Ahmedabad: In Gujarat’s arid Saurashtra region, finding a lion taking a beach walk doesn’t surprise locals anymore. After being pushed to the brink of extinction a century back, the majestic Asiatic lions are now expanding their territory around their last home on earth.  

Once ranging from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Bengal, Asiatic lions (Panthera leo) have had a chequered history in the last 100-plus years. They nearly went extinct in the early 20th century but thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, the "king of the forest" narrowly avoided disappearing. What’s more, they seem to be thriving in Saurashtra, though new challenges are arising that challenge long-held beliefs of officials and environmentalists.  

 With Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announcing the quinquennial lion census, the 16th such exercise, which will be undertaken in May, the spotlight is back on the big cats of Gujrat. 

Once confined to the famous Gir National Park, the Asiatic lions have now reclaimed their ancestral territories in at least nine districts of Saurashtra, spanning over 30,000 square km. 

It is said that most of these wild beasts have wandered out of their Gir home in search of larger pastures as their numbers grow. To address this, there have been demands to translocate some of them outside Gujarat. in a state where the lions have come to be associated with “Gujarati pride”.   The May 2025 census announced by the PM is likely to witness an increase in the lion count to around 800. In 2020, the population stood at 674, an increase of nearly 29% 

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Satellite homes A 2022 study published in the journal Nature found that about 48% of the lion population had dispersed outside Gir. It described the big cats staying outside the reserved areas as satellite populations “residing in varying satellite 

While the rising lion population brings cheer to officials and activists, it has also become challenging to find new territories for them. Over the past couple of years, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, about 100 km from the Gir park, has become home to 17 lions and is said to have a maximum capacity of hosting about 80-100, though some experts have suggested it can’t accommodate more than 50. Barda last recorded lions in 1879, about 146 years ago. Interestingly, officials claim the lions found their way to Barda “naturally”, crossing busy highways en route.  A senior forest official told DH that the rising lion population is posing three big challenges — prey base, shelter and water sources. While providing new shelters to the lions .