- Gujarat is now home to 891 Asiatic lions: Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel
- The 2025 census, carried out from May 10 to 13, spanned 58 talukas across 11 districts, including Junagadh, Amreli, and Bhavnagar
- It is a matter of great pride for all of us: Lion conservationist Parimal Nathwani
NE ENVIRONMENT BUREAU
GANDHINAGR, NEW DELHI, MAY 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the rise in Gujarat’s lion population, attributing the success to ‘Project Lion.’ The initiative has provided a conducive environment that has enabled the big cats’ protection and growth.
Responding to a post by Gujarat Chief Minister, Shri Bhupendra Patel on X, Shri Modi said:
“बहुत उत्साहित करने वाली जानकारी! यह देखकर बेहद खुशी हो रही है कि ‘प्रोजेक्ट लॉयन’ के तहत किए जा रहे प्रयासों से गुजरात में शेरों को अनुकूल माहौल मिलने के साथ ही उनका संरक्षण भी सुनिश्चित हो रहा है।”
बहुत उत्साहित करने वाली जानकारी! यह देखकर बेहद खुशी हो रही है कि ‘प्रोजेक्ट लॉयन’ के तहत किए जा रहे प्रयासों से गुजरात में शेरों को अनुकूल माहौल मिलने के साथ ही उनका संरक्षण भी सुनिश्चित हो रहा है। https://t.co/YFUVBKVtF3
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 21, 2025
Gujarat is now home to 891 Asiatic lions: Chief Minister
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced on Wednesday that Gujarat is now home to 891 Asiatic lions, as per the findings of the 16th lion population estimation. The Chief Minister stated in the press release that the latest count includes 196 males, 330 females, along with a significant number of cubs and young lions.
The number shows an increase of 32.2% in the Asiatic lion population recorded in the last 2020 lion census.
The 2025 census, carried out from May 10 to 13, spanned 58 talukas across 11 districts, including Junagadh, Amreli, and Bhavnagar.
A total of 3,854 personnel, including forest staff, sarpanches, and local villagers, actively participated in this large-scale initiative.
Amreli district holds the highest population of lions in the Asiatic lion landscape, including 82 adult males, 117 adult females, 22 sub-adult males, 35 sub-adult females, 4 unidentified sub-adults, and 79 cubs (2 males, 10 females, 67 unidentified).
While announcing this, the Chief Minister was joined by Forest Minister Mulubhai Bera, Minister of State Mukesh Patel, Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, and Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister MK Das.
The Chief Minister shared that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister, the traditional method of counting the lion population was replaced by the Total Count by Direct Sighting at the Block System approach.
On the 74th Independence Day, the Prime Minister launched Project Lion, focused on the long-term conservation and protection of lions. Aligning with this vision, the recent National Wildlife Board meeting held in Gujarat offered strategic guidance for the future roadmap of Project Lion 2047. The Chief Minister mentioned that the Prime Minister’s commitment to lion conservation will be further reinforced and successfully realised through this initiative.
The Chief Minister noted that the increase in the lion population is a result not only of favourable geographic and climatic conditions but also of the state government’s consistent and dedicated efforts in wildlife conservation. The lion population rose from 327 in 2001 to 359 in 2005, 411 in 2010, 523 in 2015, 674 in 2020, and has now reached 891.
CM also highlighted the extensive use of modern technology in the population estimation process. Digital cameras and camera traps were used to capture photographs to identify individual lions, while some lions were fitted with radio collars to monitor their movements and those of their groups.
In addition, the e-gujforest application was used for real-time data entry of lion observations, with GPS locations and photographs enhancing both accuracy and efficiency. GIS software helped delineate survey areas and create detailed maps to monitor lion movements, distribution patterns, and habitat use. Additionally, AI-based software was employed as needed to identify individual lions from photographs.
At the beginning of the event, Principal Secretary of Forests and Environment Sanjeev Kumar explained how the Forest Department applies a three-tier count method combined with real-time tracking to estimate the lion population accurately.
Of the 891 lions recorded, the core population of 384 reside in the forest and sanctuary areas while 507 reside outside in the revenue area and coastal and lion corridors, said Dr AP Singh, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forests.
“The tiger census mainly relies on the pug marks methodology as compared to Asiatic lion census that is done through Direct Beat Verification. Our lion census methodology is more scientific than tiger,” said Jaipal Singh, PCCF-Wildlife, Gujarat Forest department.
It is a matter of great pride for all of us: Parimal Nathwani
Commenting on the increase in lion population, Parimal Nathwani, MP, Rajya Sabha, who is a member of the Advisory Committee of Gir Sanctuary and National Park; and also a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said,
“It is a matter of great pride for all of us that the population of Asiatic lions, found only in Gujarat, is constantly increasing. According to the official announcement made by the Government of Gujarat, the lion population has reached 891 in the recently conducted Lion Census. Earlier, lions could only be found in the areas surrounding Sasan Gir, Junagadh and Dhari, but now their movement has spread considerably beyond and has reached Amreli, Jafrabad, Diu and Pipavav Port. Moreover, lions, who previously lived only in forest areas, have found new habitat in coastal areas as well.”
He added that “The conservation efforts, made by the State as well as the Central Governments under the visionary leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi have played a major role in the increase in lion population in Gujarat. The Project Lion document ‘Lion@ 47: Vision for Amritkal’ presented by the Central Government identifies 21 different lion corridors in Gujarat and it expects that the lion population in the state will increase significantly in the future also due to various initiatives including better management and protection of the growing lion population. The government’s decision of resettling lions in the forests of Barda and creating a new home there is also commendable.”
