On Could 21, the forest division of the western Indian state of Gujarat launched outcomes of the nation’s first lion inhabitants estimation since 2020. In line with the census, India’s wild lion inhabitants – solely concentrated in Gujarat – has risen by 32 % over the previous 5 years to 891 lions.
India’s lion conservation efforts have lengthy been centered on the Gir forest and surrounding areas of Gujarat, particularly for the reason that creation of the Gir Nationwide Park and Sanctuary in 1965. At the moment, lions have dispersed and established separate satellite tv for pc populations outdoors the Gir area and are present in 11 districts in Gujarat.
However for the primary time, the census counted extra lions throughout 9 satellite tv for pc populations (497) than the core inhabitants (394) in Gir. These embrace three new populations in neighbouring districts of Gir, together with the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, areas round Jetpur metropolis, and areas round Babra and Jasdan cities — all in Gujarat.
The census report has earmarked Barda Wildlife Sanctuary as a “second residence” for the large cat in Gujarat, echoing the stance of the state and central governments, which even have argued in favour of creating and managing Barda to host extra lions. Certainly, that is likely one of the main objectives of the 29,277 million Indian rupee ($341m) Venture Lion conservation programme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authorities in March.
However the surging variety of lions masks challenges that confront the way forward for the species in India, say consultants, and questions stay over whether or not the nation is doing sufficient to minimise human-animal battle and make sure the long-term conservation of the animal. On June 25, a lion mauled a five-year-old boy to dying in Gujarat’s Amreli district, after dragging the kid away from a farm.
We unpack the important thing findings of the census and the important thing battles forward for the large cat in India.
How had been the lions counted?
As per the Gujarat Forest Division, the lion inhabitants estimation was carried out over two 24-hour recording schedules from Could 11-13. The state’s lion panorama was divided into 735 sampling areas, every entrusted to an enumerator and two assistant enumerators. Lions had been situated and photographed with digital cameras, and cross-verified with adjoining sampling areas to keep away from duplication, based on the report.
Yadvendradev Jhala, an knowledgeable on huge cat conservation and previously with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), nevertheless, cautioned that “double counting” can’t be dominated out, and on the identical time, some lions may need been missed “because of the time constraint” imposed by the two-day train.
Ravi Chellam, a veteran wildlife biologist concerned with lion conservation since 1985, questioned the logic of a strategy that required area employees to remain alert for twenty-four hours on two consecutive days. “One can nicely think about the fatigue ranges and diminished state of alertness of the sphere employees,” he mentioned. “I discover it troublesome to consider that dependable and correct knowledge will be collected with such an method.”
In line with each consultants, there are extra sturdy and dependable scientific strategies, like combining pictures of lions with using whisker patterns – just like human fingerprints – to establish particular person lions.
Nonetheless, Jhala mentioned that the precise depend is probably going not very totally different from the census quantity.
What’s behind the sharp rise in lion numbers?
Specialists say {that a} mixture of the Gujarat state authorities’s insurance policies and the adaptability of lions has contributed to the profitable rise within the numbers.
In line with Jhala, lions will proceed to develop their inhabitants so long as there’s meals and canopy accessible, and the animals aren’t attacked. “There’s meals within the type of livestock, useless carcasses for scavenging, in addition to feral cattle for predation,” he mentioned.
The Gujarat authorities’s “compensation for livestock loss is nearly close to market worth and is revised commonly to replicate present market charges,” Jhala mentioned. This has allowed continued human-lion coexistence.
In the meantime, the brand new census reveals that the coastal Gujarat district of Bhavnagar and adjoining areas alongside the state’s coast – removed from the dry deciduous habitats of Gir – are actually residence to 212 lions. The thorny shrubs of the invasive Prosopis juliflora species (a form of mesquite) alongside the coast present “refuge for lions by means of the day, they usually can come out at night time to feed in agropastoral landscapes,” Jhala mentioned.
What number of extra lions can Gujarat host?
Since 2010, Gujarat’s lion inhabitants has greater than doubled, and their territorial vary has elevated by 75 %, from 20,000 to 35,000 sq. kilometres (7,700 to 13,500 sq. miles). Nonetheless, solely 1800sq km falls underneath protected areas, of which solely 250sq km is unique to lions.
In line with the census, 45 % of lions recorded had been present in non-forested areas comparable to wastelands, agricultural lands and close to human habitats.
“They run the danger of falling into open wells, being run over by heavy automobiles and trains, getting electrocuted and in addition contracting infections,” Chellam mentioned. He identified that lions have been commonly documented in uncommon areas such because the terraces of properties, within the basement parking a lot of inns, and on busy highways.
Chellam argued that “the area as a complete has far exceeded its carrying capability.” He says it’s not smart to have an “growing lion inhabitants in what are primarily human habitations”.
Jhala agreed. “The query is: How a lot are folks keen to tolerate a big carnivore of their neighbourhood?”
What’s the influence of hovering lion numbers on the folks of Gujarat?
In line with a human-lion battle examine within the Conservation Biology journal revealed in November, there was a ten % annual enhance within the variety of villages in Gujarat reporting livestock assaults and a 15 % enhance in livestock killed per 12 months.
The paper makes use of knowledge collected from 2012-2017. Jhala, who a co-author of the examine, anticipates rising human-lion battle.
“It’s not simple to reside with a big carnivore,” he mentioned. “You be taught you could’t let your youngsters roam round within the fields at night time, that it’s worthwhile to clear the vegetation close to your huts, that going out for defecation within the area throughout twilight hours is to be prevented, that you just want walled corrals on your livestock.”
Chellam agreed. “Whereas the rise within the variety of lions is considered by many, and particularly the federal government, as a optimistic signal, the truth is that increasingly more lions are risking themselves in addition to the lives of tens of 1000’s of individuals,” he mentioned. “There have been quite a few situations of individuals harassing lions and in addition an growing pattern of lions attacking folks.”
Is Barda a ‘second residence’ for the lion?
As per the census report, for the primary time since 1879, the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has a longtime lion inhabitants (17) inside its vary. Whereas the Gujarat authorities pitches Barda as a “second residence” for lions, Chellam and Jhala say its small dimension and proximity to Gir imply that it fails the check of what qualifies as a geographically distinct habitat that may maintain a “second” lion inhabitants.
“The satellite tv for pc inhabitants in Barda counts as a spread enlargement for lions, however it can’t be thought of a separate inhabitants since they’re contiguous with Gir,” Jhala mentioned.
“The entire level in translocating lions to determine a ‘second’ free-ranging inhabitants is to make sure geographical isolation, to mitigate the dangers of getting your complete inhabitants of an endangered species at a single website,” Chellam defined.
Barda is 100km from Gir, and simply 200sq km in dimension, in contrast with 1,400sq km of core protected space in Gir. “It [Barda] is a small space with a really low-density prey inhabitants. It’s incapable of internet hosting a viable inhabitants of lions,” he added.
“The dangers are quite a few and embrace cyclones, floods, forest fires, illness outbreaks, political choices, droughts, poaching, violence and wars.”
Why aren’t lions being moved outdoors Gujarat?
That’s a query that has piqued conservationists – and pissed off even the Supreme Court docket of India.
In April 2013, the nation’s high court docket ordered the Gujarat state authorities to translocate just a few Asiatic lions to Kuno Nationwide Park within the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh inside six months to create a geographically separate, free-ranging lion inhabitants. Kuno, with its giant tracts of forests and grasslands, was recognized as having the right panorama and prey base for lions.
Although the Gujarat authorities assured the highest court docket that it will adjust to the order, 12 years later, the order continues to be to be applied, and neither the federal nor the state authorities has confronted any penalties. “It is vitally disappointing to see the degrees of impunity with which the state authorities of Gujarat and in addition the federal government of India have been working in terms of the translocation of lions to Kuno,” Chellam mentioned.
In line with Jhala, it is usually a failure on the a part of wildlife biologists and conservationists. “You can’t do conservation with out the federal government. I believe biologists have failed in convincing the federal government that Kuno is a perfect place to have a second residence for lions,” Jhala mentioned.
Haven’t cheetahs been moved to Kuno?
On September 17, 2022, eight Southeast African Cheetahs had been flown in from Namibia to Kuno Nationwide Park as a part of India’s efforts to reintroduce the cheetah to the nation. Cheetahs had beforehand gone extinct in India in 1952.
Nonetheless, the introduction of cheetahs to Kuno set off a debate over whether or not that will impede plans to additionally transfer lions to the Madhya Pradesh reserve.
Jhala, who led the 2022 plan to deliver cheetahs again to India, mentioned it was “incredible” to have the animals again in India – and that lions and cheetahs may simply coexist in Kuno.
“By no means do cheetahs forestall lions from going there. In truth, they might do higher than cheetahs, the panorama and prey base in Kuno is ideal for lions,” he mentioned.
Bringing in lions may be useful for cheetahs, Jhala added. Kuno has one of many highest leopard densities on the earth, at 22 leopards per 100sq km. Leopards pose extra of a predatory risk to cheetahs; lions can assist cut back leopard density as they prey on leopards, particularly the younger ones.
Chellam, although, questioned the intentions of the cheetah reintroduction plan, which he alleged was “extra to proceed to stall and delay the translocation of lions [to Kuno] moderately than to preserve cheetahs”.
Like Jhala, Chellam mentioned that lions would do nicely in Kuno. “Lions are very hardy and sturdy animals. If the translocation is deliberate and carried out rigorously, there is no such thing as a purpose for the lions to not thrive in Kuno.”
What’s subsequent for the large cat?
“It [lions in Gujarat] is an excellent conservation story,” Jhala mentioned. “However loads will be accomplished for the lion as a species. Overlook about Kuno; we should always attempt to set up lion populations throughout its historic vary, inside and outdoors of India”. The previous vary of lions in Asia prolonged from Persia to japanese India – the final of Asia’s lions outdoors India had been shot and killed in Iran within the Forties.
The present focus of lions in simply Gujarat, Chellam mentioned, was a “ticking time bomb”.
With lion numbers ballooning in human habitats, he mentioned it was necessary for the federal government to recognise that “area and availability of fine high quality habitats are a extreme constraint [in Gujarat].”