NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JUNE 10
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to share the news of increase in the population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat on Wednesday, crediting community participation for it.
Two very good news:
Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%.
Geographically, distribution area is up by 36%.
Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat.https://t.co/vUKngxOCa7 pic.twitter.com/TEIT2424vF
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2020
“Two very good news: Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29 percent,” he said.
Geographically, the distribution area of the animals was up by 36 percent, Modi said.
“Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat,” he wrote on the microblogging website.
Over the last several years, the lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising.
This, Modi said, was powered by community participation with an emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management, and steps to minimise human-lion conflict.
“Hope this positive trend continues,” he said. Gujarat is the home state of the prime minister.
Modi also shared a press release, which said the population of Asiatic lions has shown a steady increase with 674 animals and an increased rate of 28.87 percent (one of the highest growth rates so far) from the previous growth rate of 27 percent in 2015 (523 lions).
“The distribution of the lions has increased from an area of 22000 sq. km in 2015 to 30000 sq. km in 2020, thus increasing the distribution area by 36 percent,” the release said.
There has been a consistent increase in the population and distribution area of Asiatic lions, mainly owing to the effective conservation and management by the Gujarat Forest Department, it added.
