Lions are still roaring with utmost strength in the forests of Gujarat. And they have shown a 29 per cent increase of their population. The recently concluded “Poonam Avalokanam” or full moon light observation in Gujarat has revealed the increase of 29 per cent in lion population.
“Poonam Avalokanam” replaced lion census 2020 due to Covid pandemic. Media reports quoting officials said that the state was now home to 674 lions. There was a rise of 151 lions from the count of 523 lions in the census conducted in 2015.
Moreover, the distribution area of lions has also increased to 30,000 square kilometres. This is a rise of 36 per cent as compared to 22,000 square kilometres in 2015 census. The reports quoted officials as saying that lions reported a healthy growth in population because of effective conservation and management efforts.
The officials also said that they were able to curb the canine distemper virus outbreak in 2018. This has also led to the increase in the numbers of lions in Gujarat. In Africa, 890 per cent of the lion population was wiped off by the canine distemper virus outbreak. In Gujarat, 36 lions died due to the virus.
The reports also said that the number of lions have increased since 1968. It said that 159 male and 262 female lions were now present in the forests. There was also a healthy female male ratio of 1: 64. This ratio was 1:84 in 2015.
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