How Gujarat counted its Asiatic lions: 35,000 square km, 11 districts, 300 people
The total population of Asiatic Lions, primarily found in the Gir Forests of Gujarat — the last abode of the species in the world — has been estimated at 891, as per the official figures of the 16th Lion Census announced by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.
The estimation, carried out by the Forest Department between May 10 and May 13, recorded a rise in the population of Asiatic Lions by 217.
As per the census, there are 196 males, 330 females, 140 sub-adults, and 225 cubs.
This was the first full-fledged Lion Census conducted by the Gujarat government since 2015, officials said.
During the 15th lion estimation, the total population was 674, comprising 260 females, 161 males, 93 sub-adults, and 137 cubs.
The census covered a 35,000 square km area spread across 11 districts of the Saurashtra region comprising Junagadh, Gir-Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Amreli, Porbandar, and Botad.
The estimation was done using the Direct Beat Verification method that the Forest Department has been following for the past 30 years.
Under the method, the entire area of exercise was divided into regions, zones, and sub-zones with the appointment of regional, zonal, sub-zonal officials, enumerators and assistant enumerators, supervisors, and volunteers.
To maintain transparency in the exercise, members of the national and state wildlife boards, experts from different fields, and experts on lions and their behaviour were invited to join the forest officials.
In all, over 3,000 people were part of the exercise.
In 2020, the actual census exercise was not conducted owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, and hence the forest officials relied on lion sightings on full moon days, which was a regular exercise, and came up with the 15th Lion Census.
According to Gujarat government records, the first lion census was conducted by the Nawab of Junagadh in 1936.
In 1965, the Gir forest was declared a sanctuary, and since then, the Gujarat Forest Department has been regularly conducting lion censuses every five years.
But due to various reasons, the 6th and 8th lion censuses were delayed by a year.
The 11th lion census was due in 2000 but was deferred by a year due to heavy rain that year.
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