Gir Forest

555 Asiatic lions died in five years, no rise in mortality rate, says Govt

A total 555 Asiatic lions died in the last five years but there has been no increase in their mortality rate, the government told the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Gir forest in Gujarat is the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lion. According to government data, the number of these big cats in Gir rose from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020. Replying to a question, Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lower House that 555 lions died in the last five years. He said 113 lions died in 2019, 124 in 2020, 105 in 2021, 110 in 2022 and 103 in 2023. Asked if an increasing number of lions were dying in the country, the minister replied in the negative. Over the years, experts have demanded the translocation of lions in India as the big cats have been geographically isolated in Gir. A second home would protect the lion population from extinction in case of an epidemic, an unexpected decline in prey or natural calamities. In September 2018, 27 lions died in Gir becau

More than 200 teams deployed in Gir, 2 lion cubs rescued amid Biparjoy

The Gujarat government had deployed more than 200 teams in Gir forest and Kutch district to respond to emergencies related to Asiatic lions and other wildlife during the landfall of cyclone Biparjoy, an official said on Friday. One of the teams rescued two lion cubs that had fallen into an open well in Jasadhar Range of Gir East division during the cyclone's landfall on Thursday evening, the official said. Of the 210 teams formed by the state forest fepartment, 184 were deployed in the Gir Forest and surrounding regions, comprising nine divisions of Junagadh wildlife and territorial circle, a government release stated. The teams were formed to rescue wild animals, remove fallen trees and provide rapid response to any other emergency related to wildlife, it said. The nine circles are Junagadh forest, Gir East, Gir West, Sasan, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Morbi, the release added. As per the last wildlife census conducted in 2020, Gir forest in Saurashtra regio

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary new translocation site for Asiatic lions

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, located near the coastal city of Porbandar and 100 kilometres from the Gir National Park, has been identified as a potential second home for Asiatic lions, according to the government. Efforts were being made since the 1990s to find a relocation site for the Asiatic lions within Gujarat and outside the state, considering that the species is vulnerable to extinction threats from epidemics because of low genetic diversity. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the government to translocate Asiatic lions from Gujarat to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh within six months. It had also rejected a proposal to introduce the African cheetah in Kuno. After the apex court allowed the introduction of African cheetah in India on an experimental basis in January 2020, eight cheetahs from Namibia have been reintroduced in Kuno, but the translocation of lions is still pending. Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lok Sabha

Jio not to pursue tower installation project inside Gir, Girnar sanctuaries

Reliance Jio Infocomm has conveyed its decision not to pursue its project to intsall telecom towers inside Gir and Girnar wildlife sanctuaries, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Gujarat in 2020: Year of migrants' march, hospital fires, lion's roar

Disruption of industrial activities due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, protests by jobless migrants eager to return home and hospital fires- all these kept Gujarat in the news during the year

From Gangtok to Gir, Flipkart and Amazon festive sales traverse India

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce, with an increasing number of consumers shopping online at a higher frequency

Population of Gir lions rises by 29%; kudos to people of Gujarat, says PM

Participation of the local population has helped, and habitat has improved

Guj's lion count rises to 674 from 523, PM hopes positive trend continues

The territory or the distribution area of the big cat has also increased by 36 per cent from 22,000 square kilometres to 30,000 km during the same period

Gujarat: Woman gives birth in Gir forest, surrounded by 12 lions

The mother and the child are currently admitted to Jafrabad hospital. Both are hale and hearty