PETALING JAYA, June 11 — Wildlife enthusiasts have something to be proud of as India just recorded that its Asiatic lion population has increased by almost 29 per cent since 2015.
The uplifting news was shared yesterday on Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi’s Twitter account.
“Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest is up by almost 29%.
“Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat.”
Two very good news:
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2020
Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%.
Geographically, distribution area is up by 36%.
Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat.https://t.co/vUKngxOCa7 pic.twitter.com/TEIT2424vF
The increase in the number of lions comes as good news as according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), these dwindling lion species that live in the Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat, are considered as endangered species.
Threats that they face include poaching and habitat loss, especially when roads and temples built have infringed their habitats, as stated on WWF’s website.
Modi also said that the recent news of the increasing lion species were due to various factors such as community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise the human-lion conflict.
Over the last several years, the Lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising. This is powered by community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise human-lion conflict. Hope this positive trend continues!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2020
In a statement, Modi also said that the Asiatic lions have increased to 674 as compared to five years ago where there were only 574 lions roaming in the protected areas of the Gir National Park, Gujarat.
He also said that the distribution of lions has increased from an area of 22,000 square kilometres in 2015 to an area spanning 30,000 square kilometres in 2020.
“A consistent increase in population and distribution area of the Asiatic lions is mainly because of effective conservation and management by the Gujarat Forest Department.
“Gujarat Forest Department remains committed for the long term conservation Asiatic Lions.”
The statement also said that data on the number of lions was collected using a method known as Poonam Avlokan which is an exercise done by Gujarat Forest Department’s forest staff using the Block Count method – a strategy employed to count wildlife animals in a particular area.
Forest staff from 13 administrative divisions conducted the exercise under the close supervision of respective administrative authorities involving a total manpower of 1,400 personnel.
