Mumbai, June 15: Long viewed as an oddity, the small population of Asia’s last lions living in isolation in Gujarat’s Gir region is periodically buffeted by some threat or other. In recent times, several lions in Gir National Park and Sanctuary have died, with conflicting theories circulating on what killed them. The eight lions, including some cubs, could have perished as a result of the Babesia parasite or, as the state government asserts, due to heat stress.
In any event, unnatural lion mortality is a cause for concern because the cats are literally cornered in one part of the country. Their populations are encountered not only in protected areas but also in surrounding human-dominated landscapes, where there is growing competition for both space and resources.
The official claim of a lion population of 891 marks a significant increase over 674 individuals recorded in 2020, with a current range of 35,000 sq km. This constitutes a major conservation success. Strikingly, there were only 12 animals recorded in 1880. Then again, it is useful to remember that Africa has an estimated 22,000 to 25,000 lions in sub-Saharan countries.
Evidently, the lion is seen as Gujarat’s pride, and keeping their numbers up is a high political priority. Scientists are keen that they must be counted scientifically to estimate a population range rather than come up with a single number. In wildlife protection terms, protection for an apex species is a shield for all others in the landscape, and the territory of the cats could be protected from land grabs of the kind gnawing away at other forests. Sadly, in Gir, rail lines can kill lions.
Disease Risks And Ecological Pressure
One of the biggest worries about the Gir lions is the likelihood of an epidemic that could wipe out much of the pride. Babesia, transmitted through ticks, is one such threat, and the presence of livestock—often preyed upon by the big cats—and other animal hosts of the vector adds to the risk. Studies published by the Gujarat Forest Department point to lions ranging across multiple districts, indicating that the tree cover and prey base in the core area are saturated.
If it is heat stress and a consequent immunity deficit that threaten to devastate the pride, the prospects of such events occurring are heightened by climate aberrations, such as prolonged droughts. In the wake of a sweeping epidemic of canine distemper in 2018 that killed 23 lions, there have been calls to implement the pending relocation plan for some lions in a distant habitat such as Kuno in Madhya Pradesh.
Conservation Challenges And Tourism Pressure
Such proposals must get serious consideration and follow-up action in the long-term interests of the lions. Tourism brought a staggering 900,000 visitors to Gir in 2024, but overtourism is the enemy of conservation. Every bottleneck event calls for greater vigilance.
