Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increases to 523: Census report 2015

May 11, 2015

According to 2015 census report, the number of Asiatic lions in Gir sanctuary of Gujarat and its surrounding areas has gone up to 523.
This 14th census lion census, has registered 27 percent increase in the number of Asiatic lions compared to 2010 census which had registered 411 Asiatic lions.
As per recent census,

There are 201 female, 109 male lions and 213 sub-adults as well as cubs in Gir sanctuary and other protected areas in Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
268 lions were sighted in Junagadh district and 44 lions in the Gir-Somnath district. While 174 lions were sighted in Amreli district and 37 lions in Bhavnagar districts.
The lions’ habitat area has almost doubled in last five years and has considerably increased to 22,000 square kilometers.

About 2015 lion census

Lion census is being carried out at every 5 years by Gujarat state forest department.
2015 Lion census exercise was carried out from 1st to 5th May, 2015.
The lion population was registered using Global Positioning System (GPS) incase of direct sighting or direct contact methods.
The census was conducted by more than 2 thousand persons. It included 600 units of enumerators, government officials, trackers, wildlife experts, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Note: Asiatic lions found in Gir sanctuary are only wild population of Asiatic lions in the world. They are categorised as endangered species in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list.

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