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100 lions died in Gujarat in one year: State forest minister
Of the 100 deaths, 20 were male lions, 21 were females, and 58 were cubs, according to the details tabled in the assembly on Monday
Gujarat, which is home to the only population of Asiatic lions, has lost 100 lions in the year 2022-23, state forest minister Murubhai Bera told the Gujarat assembly on Monday.
The minister was responding to a question by Congress legislator Amit Chavda of the Anklav constituency.
Bera said that in the year 2022-23, there have been 89 natural and 11 unnatural deaths of Asiatic lions in Gujarat. The figures are from April 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, he said.
These deaths account for nearly 15% of the lion population of the total 674 remaining as per the census in 2020. The lion count is held once every five years and the next one will be in 2025.
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Of the 100 deaths, 20 were male lions, 21 were females, and 58 were cubs, according to the details tabled in the assembly on Monday.
The mortality rate of lions has gone down substantially compared to the last two years, the forest minister said.
According to official figures, in the year 2020-21, the total number of lion deaths recorded was 137, including 14 unnatural deaths, and in the year 2021-22, the death toll was 129, including 16 unnatural deaths.
Bera said that the causes behind unnatural deaths include falling in open wells or getting hit by vehicles or trains.
The minister, in his reply, also added that to protect and conserve the remaining lion population, the government is setting up a rapid action team for rescue and ambulance service.
The Asiatic lion today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in Gujarat.
