The estimated population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat has increased to 891 from 674 five years ago as per the census conducted this month, officials said on Wednesday.
Not only the count went up by 217, but the animals were found outside the Gir National Park, their traditional habitat, and spread across 11 districts of Saurashtra including non-forested and coastal areas, the officials said.
"Estimated population of Asiatic lions has increased to 891," Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel told reporters here.
As per the last census conducted in June 2020, the population of Asiatic lions, a subspecies only found in Gujarat's Gir area, was estimated at 674.
As per the latest count, there are estimated 196 males, 330 females,140 sub-adults and 225 cubs, said the Gujarat forest department.
As the population of lions is increasing, their spread in Saurashtra region has also expanded. The big cats were earlier confined to the Gir National Park in Junagadh and Amreli districts, but now they have spread to 11 districts, an official said.
As many as 384 lions were counted in Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and 507 were found outside its limits, said Jaipal Singh, principal chief conservator of forest.
The areas outside Gir where lions were spotted included sanctuaries like Pania, Mitiyala, Girnar and Barda. Some animals were seen in non-forested areas and coastal areas too.
Seventeen lions were counted in Barda sanctuary, 15 km from Porbandar.
The highest number of lions recorded in a single pride was 17 in Bhavnagar district, official said.
The 16th Asiatic lion census, a four-day exercise, was conducted from May 10 to 13 in two phases, covering an area of 35,000 square kilometres across 58 talukas of 11 districts.
While the preliminary census was conducted on May 10 and 11, the final count was held on May 12 and 13 with the help of 3,000 volunteers, including regional, zonal and sub-zonal officers, enumerators, assistant enumerators and inspectors, said a forest department release.
The census was conducted through a more accurate method called 'direct beat verification', which provides 100 percent accuracy with almost zero margin of error due to statistical analysis and ease of implementation, said the release.
A lion census is conducted every five years by the state Forest Department.
Volunteers recorded details such as time of observation, direction of movement, sex, age, any other identifying marks on the body and GPS location among others.
Hi-tech tools like camera traps and high resolution cameras and radio-collars were used for the identification of lions, the release said.
The 11 districts where lions were spotted are Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Amreli, Porbandar and Botad.
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