Gujarat: Gir lions move out of the jungle

AHMEDABAD: Images of a lion lounging on a groundnut heap at an Amreli farm or a pride strolling through the Junagadh town indicated that the royal beasts were laying claim to realty around human habitations. Now the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has confirmed that lions are making themselves at home outside their protected precincts.


An IUCN report reveals that between 1993 and 2014, lion population in Gujarat grew by 400% outside the sanctuary areas; the figure was a mere 11% within the sanctuary areas.The Gujarat forest department's Census 2015 data analysis had pegged the lion population growth at 20.23% inside the sanctuary area.
The IUCN report titled ‘Red List for Lion’ that was released recently says that the lion population grew from 276 to 306 in the sanctuary area, while it shot up from 36 to 179 outside the protected area. It puts the total number of lions at 485 till 2014.
Census 2015 pegs lion population at 523 which is spread across five districts namely Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Porbandar.
The sanctuary area is spread over 1492 sq km in Gir, Girnar, Mitiyala and Paniya sanctuaries. Outside these sanctuaries, a good 40% lion population resides in 22,000 sq km area spread in the revenue areas.
Experts say that 400% rise in lion population outside protected areas underscores a need to redesign the lion conservation and management in the state. The need command urgent attention especially after state lost 23 lions to deadly CDV and babesiosis infection recently.
‘Surveillance has to be stepped up’
Gujarat should form a single authority to oversee lion conservation pronto. Illegal tourism outside sanctuary areas through unlawful lion shows has to end. Surveillance has to be stepped up in revenue areas with lion presence too for long term conservation,” said HS Singh, member of the National Board For Wildlife.
Senior forest officers say that they have put in repeated proposals saying lions should now be monitored by a single agency.Currently,lion conservation in sanctuary areas is the responsibility of the forest department while the social forestry division looks after lions outside protected areas.
Lion expert and member of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) YV Jhala said, “The government needs to prepare an action plan to compensate victims of man-animal conflict, which will only increase as more lions move out. Lions in revenue areas are at risk and survive only due to the goodwill of locals.”
Jhala said the government should ensure green corridors are between satellite populations of lions are not lost.