Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce two 'very good news'.
"Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%," he wrote.
"Geographically, distribution area is up by 36%.
"Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat."
He further hailed the community participating in keeping the human-lion conflict minimal.
"Over the last several years, the Lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising," he added.
"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!"
The Asiatic lion, once faced with imminent extinction has shown a population recovery which has been acclaimed as a global conservation success story, thanks to the timely intervention by the erstwhile Nawab of Junagadh and protection regimes of the Gujarat Forest Department in the post-independence era.
Today, Asiatic lions are present in Protected Areas and agro-pastoral landscape of Saurashtra covering nine districts in a sprawling expanse of over 30000 sq. km which is termed as the Asiatic Lion Landscape.
Understanding the population and distribution status of Asiatic Lions is imperative for their long term conservation and management.
The population estimation of Asiatic Lions is conducted at an interval of five years. The last population estimation exercise was conducted in May 2015 which pegged the lion numbers at 523, a 27% increase from the estimation of 2010.
The 15th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation was scheduled during 05-06 June, 2020, but owing to the present COVID-19 situation, it was not conducted as planned.
