Increase in the number of lions in Gujarat.
Gandhinagar: The roar of Asian lions has now intensified in the forests of Gujarat. The estimated number of Asian lions in the state has increased to 891, which was 674 five years ago. On Wednesday, the officials gave this information on the basis of the calculation done this month. Officials said that lions are no longer limited to Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, but their presence has now spread to 11 districts. These include many non-forest and coastal areas.
Now Asian lions spread in 11 districts
State Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said, “The estimated number of Asian lions in Gujarat has increased to 891.” The forest department said that according to the census, out of 891 lions, 196 male, 330 female, 140 sub-yasks and 225 cubs were included. With the increase in the number of lions, they have also expanded in the Saurashtra region. Earlier these lions were limited to Gir National Parks of Junagadh and Amreli districts, but now they have spread to 11 districts.
Lion settled out of fall
384 lions were found in Gir National Park and its associated sanctuaries, while 507 lions have been found outside these areas. The lions outside Gir were seen in protected areas such as Pania, Matila, Girnar and Barda. Apart from this, many lions were also found in non-forest and coastal areas. 17 lions were also seen in Barda Sanctuary, which is about 15 km from Porbandar. The highest number of lions were found in the same herd in Bhavnagar district.
PM Modi expressed happiness
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over the increase in the number of lions in Gujarat. He wrote on his X account, “Very excited information! It is very happy to see that the efforts being made under ‘Project Lion’ are also ensuring the conservation of lions in Gujarat as well as their protection.
Calculated in two phases from May 10 to 13
An official of the forest department said that the 16th Asian lion calculation was done in two phases from 10 to 13 May. It included an area of 35,000 square kilometers of 58 talukas in 11 districts. The press release of the forest department stated that the initial calculation was done on 10 and 11 May, while the final calculation was done on 12 and 13 May. More than 3,000 volunteers, regional, zones and sub-officers, calculations, assistant calculations and inspectors participated in it. This time the calculation was done with a technique called ‘Direct Beat Verification’, which is considered more accurate.
Count of lions like this
The lions are counted every five years by the State Forest Department. Volunteers recorded information like monitoring lions, direction, gender, age, special signs on the body and GPS location. According to the release, technical devices such as camera traps, high-resolution cameras and radio collar were also used to calculate lions. Asian lions were found in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Amreli, Porbandar and Botad. (With language inputs)
