India’s lion numbers soar: Why are some conservationists worried?

On May 21, the wood section of the occidental Indian authorities of Gujarat released results of the country’s archetypal lion colonisation estimation since 2020. According to the census, India’s chaotic lion colonisation – exclusively concentrated successful Gujarat – has risen by 32 percent implicit the past 5 years to 891 lions.

India’s lion conservation efforts person agelong been focused connected the Gir forest and surrounding areas of Gujarat, particularly since the instauration of the Gir National Park and Sanctuary successful 1965. Today, lions person dispersed and established abstracted outer populations extracurricular the Gir portion and are recovered successful 11 districts successful Gujarat.

But for the archetypal time, the census counted much lions crossed 9 outer populations (497) than the halfway colonisation (394) successful Gir. These see 3 caller populations successful neighbouring districts of Gir, including the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, areas astir Jetpur city, and areas astir Babra and Jasdan towns — each successful Gujarat.

The census study has earmarked Barda Wildlife Sanctuary arsenic a “second home” for the large feline successful Gujarat, echoing the stance of the authorities and cardinal governments, which besides person argued successful favour of processing and managing Barda to big much lions. Indeed, that is 1 of the superior goals of the 29,277 cardinal Indian rupee ($341m) Project Lion conservation programme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authorities successful March.

But the surging fig of lions masks challenges that face the aboriginal of the taxon successful India, accidental experts, and questions stay implicit whether the state is doing capable to minimise human-animal struggle and guarantee the semipermanent conservation of the animal. On June 25, a lion mauled a five-year-old lad to decease successful Gujarat’s Amreli district, aft dragging the kid distant from a farm.

We unpack the cardinal findings of the census and the cardinal battles up for the large feline successful India.

In this Sunday, June 9, 2013, photo, endangered Asiatic lions remainder astatine the Gir Lion Sanctuary astatine Sasan successful Junagadh territory of Gujarat state, India [Ajit Solanki /AP]

How were the lions counted?

As per the Gujarat Forest Department, the lion colonisation estimation was conducted implicit 2 24-hour signaling schedules from May 11-13. The state’s lion scenery was divided into 735 sampling regions, each entrusted to an enumerator and 2 adjunct enumerators. Lions were located and photographed with integer cameras, and cross-verified with adjacent sampling regions to debar duplication, according to the report.

Yadvendradev Jhala, an adept connected large feline conservation and formerly with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), however, cautioned that “double counting” cannot beryllium ruled out, and astatine the aforesaid time, immoderate lions mightiness person been missed “due to the clip constraint” imposed by the two-day exercise.

Ravi Chellam, a seasoned wildlife biologist progressive with lion conservation since 1985, questioned the logic of a methodology that required tract unit to enactment alert for 24 hours connected 2 consecutive days. “One tin good ideate the fatigue levels and diminished authorities of alertness of the tract staff,” helium said. “I find it hard to judge that reliable and close information tin beryllium collected with specified an approach.”

According to some experts, determination are much robust and reliable technological methods, similar combining photographs of lions with the usage of whisker patterns – akin to quality fingerprints – to place idiosyncratic lions.

Still, Jhala said that the existent number is apt not precise antithetic from the census number.

Forest defender Rashila Ben holds a lion cub wrong an carnal infirmary located successful the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary successful the occidental Indian authorities of Gujarat, connected December 1, 2014 [Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters]

What’s down the crisp emergence successful lion numbers?

Experts accidental that a operation of the Gujarat authorities government’s policies and the adaptability of lions has contributed to the palmy emergence successful the numbers.

According to Jhala, lions volition proceed to grow their colonisation arsenic agelong arsenic determination is nutrient and screen available, and the animals aren’t attacked. “There is nutrient successful the signifier of livestock, dormant carcasses for scavenging, arsenic good arsenic feral cattle for predation,” helium said.

The Gujarat government’s “compensation for livestock nonaccomplishment is astir adjacent marketplace worth and is revised regularly to bespeak existent marketplace rates,” Jhala said. This has allowed continued human-lion coexistence.

Meanwhile, the caller census shows that the coastal Gujarat territory of Bhavnagar and adjacent areas on the state’s seashore – acold from the adust deciduous habitats of Gir – are present location to 212 lions. The thorny shrubs of the invasive Prosopis juliflora taxon (a benignant of mesquite) on the seashore supply “refuge for lions done the day, and they tin travel retired astatine nighttime to provender successful agropastoral landscapes,” Jhala said.

Lionesses astatine the Gir Sanctuary successful the occidental Indian authorities of Gujarat, India [File: Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo]

How galore much lions tin Gujarat host?

Since 2010, Gujarat’s lion colonisation has much than doubled, and their territorial scope has accrued by 75 percent, from 20,000 to 35,000 quadrate kilometres (7,700 to 13,500 quadrate miles). However, lone 1800sq km falls nether protected areas, of which lone 250sq km is exclusive to lions.

According to the census, 45 percent of lions recorded were recovered successful non-forested areas specified arsenic wastelands, cultivation lands and adjacent quality habitats.

“They tally the hazard of falling into unfastened wells, being tally implicit by dense vehicles and trains, getting electrocuted and besides contracting infections,” Chellam said. He pointed retired that lions person been regularly documented successful antithetic locations specified arsenic the terraces of homes, successful the basement parking tons of hotels, and connected engaged highways.

Chellam argued that “the portion arsenic a full has acold exceeded its carrying capacity.” He says it’s not sensible to person an “increasing lion colonisation successful what are fundamentally quality habitations”.

Jhala agreed. “The question is: How overmuch are radical consenting to tolerate a ample carnivore successful their neighbourhood?”

Employees enactment connected a vas astatine a shipbuilding portion astatine Bhavnagar, astir 180km (112 miles) westbound of the occidental Indian metropolis of Ahmedabad, connected July 18, 2009. The coastal territory is present location to a lion colonisation for the archetypal clip [Amit Dave/Reuters]

What is the interaction of soaring lion numbers connected the radical of Gujarat?

According to a human-lion struggle study successful the Conservation Biology diary published successful November, determination has been a 10 percent yearly summation successful the fig of villages successful Gujarat reporting livestock attacks and a 15 percent summation successful livestock killed per year.

The insubstantial uses information collected from 2012-2017. Jhala, who a co-author of the study, anticipates increasing human-lion conflict.

“It’s not casual to unrecorded with a ample carnivore,” helium said. “You larn that you can’t fto your kids roam astir successful the fields astatine night, that you request to wide the vegetation adjacent your huts, that going retired for defecation successful the tract during twilight hours is to beryllium prevented, that you request walled corrals for your livestock.”

Chellam agreed. “While the summation successful the fig of lions is viewed by many, and particularly the government, arsenic a affirmative sign, the world is that much and much lions are risking themselves arsenic good arsenic the lives of tens of thousands of people,” helium said. “There person been galore instances of radical harassing lions and besides an expanding inclination of lions attacking people.”

A antheral wades done floodwaters successful Vadodara, Gujarat state, India. Lions look an accrued hazard from earthy and man-made calamities if they are each packed into 1 reserve, experts warn, arguing for the authorities to make a 2nd location for the animals [AP Photo]

Is Barda a ‘second home’ for the lion?

As per the census report, for the archetypal clip since 1879, the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has an established lion colonisation (17) wrong its range. While the Gujarat authorities pitches Barda arsenic a “second home” for lions, Chellam and Jhala accidental its tiny size and proximity to Gir mean that it fails the trial of what qualifies arsenic a geographically chiseled situation that tin prolong a “second” lion population.

“The outer colonisation successful Barda counts arsenic a scope enlargement for lions, but it cannot beryllium considered a abstracted colonisation since they are contiguous with Gir,” Jhala said.

“The full constituent successful translocating lions to found a ‘second’ free-ranging colonisation is to guarantee geographical isolation, to mitigate the risks of having the full colonisation of an endangered taxon astatine a azygous site,” Chellam explained.

Barda is 100km from Gir, and conscionable 200sq km successful size, compared with 1,400sq km of halfway protected country successful Gir. “It [Barda] is simply a tiny country with a precise low-density prey population. It is incapable of hosting a viable colonisation of lions,” helium added.

“The risks are galore and see cyclones, floods, wood fires, illness outbreaks, governmental decisions, droughts, poaching, unit and wars.”

Lions Ram and Laxman play successful an enclosure astatine the Nehru Zoological Park successful Hyderabad, India, connected Wednesday, June 15, 2011 [Mahesh Kumar A/AP Photo]

Why aren’t lions being moved extracurricular Gujarat?

That’s a question that has piqued conservationists – and frustrated adjacent the Supreme Court of India.

In April 2013, the country’s apical tribunal ordered the Gujarat authorities authorities to translocate a fewer Asiatic lions to Kuno National Park successful the neighbouring authorities of Madhya Pradesh wrong six months to make a geographically separate, free-ranging lion population. Kuno, with its ample tracts of forests and grasslands, was identified arsenic having the cleanable scenery and prey basal for lions.

Though the Gujarat authorities assured the apical tribunal that it would comply with the order, 12 years later, the bid is inactive to beryllium implemented, and neither the national nor the authorities authorities has faced immoderate consequences. “It is precise disappointing to spot the levels of impunity with which the authorities authorities of Gujarat and besides the authorities of India person been operating erstwhile it comes to the translocation of lions to Kuno,” Chellam said.

According to Jhala, it is besides a nonaccomplishment connected the portion of wildlife biologists and conservationists. “You cannot bash conservation without the government. I deliberation biologists person failed successful convincing the authorities that Kuno is an perfect spot to person a 2nd location for lions,” Jhala said.

Two cheetahs are seen wrong a quarantine enclosure earlier being relocated to India astatine a reserve adjacent Bella Bella, South Africa, connected Sunday, September 4, 2022. Three cheetah cubs, calved to a large feline brought to India from Namibia past year, died successful May 2023 [Denis Farrell/AP Photo]

Haven’t cheetahs been moved to Kuno?

On September 17, 2022, 8 Southeast African Cheetahs were flown successful from Namibia to Kuno National Park arsenic portion of India’s efforts to reintroduce the cheetah to the country. Cheetahs had antecedently gone extinct successful India successful 1952.

However, the instauration of cheetahs to Kuno acceptable disconnected a statement implicit whether that would impede plans to besides determination lions to the Madhya Pradesh reserve.

Jhala, who led the 2022 program to bring cheetahs backmost to India, said it was “fantastic” to person the animals backmost successful India – and that lions and cheetahs could easy coexist successful Kuno.

“In nary mode bash cheetahs forestall lions from going there. In fact, they would bash amended than cheetahs, the scenery and prey basal successful Kuno is cleanable for lions,” helium said.

Bringing successful lions could besides beryllium adjuvant for cheetahs, Jhala added. Kuno has 1 of the highest leopard densities successful the world, astatine 22 leopards per 100sq km. Leopards airs much of a predatory menace to cheetahs; lions tin assistance trim leopard density arsenic they prey connected leopards, particularly the young ones.

Chellam, though, questioned the intentions of the cheetah reintroduction plan, which helium alleged was “more to proceed to stall and hold the translocation of lions [to Kuno] alternatively than to conserve cheetahs”.

Like Jhala, Chellam said that lions would bash good successful Kuno. “Lions are precise hardy and robust animals. If the translocation is planned and carried retired carefully, determination is nary crushed for the lions not to thrive successful Kuno.”

Lions erstwhile roamed each the mode from Persia to eastbound India. Here, radical alert the Iranian emblem that was utilized earlier 1979, which had a lion connected it, successful New York, connected April 14, 2013 [Carlo Allegri/Reuters]

What’s adjacent for the large cat?

“It [lions successful Gujarat] is simply a fantastic conservation story,” Jhala said. “But a batch tin beryllium done for the lion arsenic a species. Forget astir Kuno; we should effort and found lion populations crossed its humanities range, wrong and extracurricular of India”. The aged scope of lions successful Asia extended from Persia to eastbound India – the past of Asia’s lions extracurricular India were changeable and killed successful Iran successful the 1940s.

The existent attraction of lions successful conscionable Gujarat, Chellam said, was a “ticking clip bomb”.

With lion numbers ballooning successful quality habitats, helium said it was important for the authorities to recognise that “space and availability of bully prime habitats are a terrible constraint [in Gujarat].”