ASIATIC LION FACING DISASTER

 A total of 62 lions, lionesses and cubs died of various diseases in Gujarat in one year ending July 31, 2026

~~ Gujarat Govt report

The deaths included 17 lions, 17 lionesses and 28 cubs, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said in a written reply to a question raised by senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar during Question Hour on the third and final day of the monsoon session.

307 Asiatic lions died over these two years.

141 deaths occurred between August 2023 and July 2024.

166 deaths occurred between August 2024 and July 2025.

Illness & Disease: The single largest cause of mortality, accounting for around 141 deaths (including complications from viral/bacterial infections like Canine Distemper Virus, pneumonia, and anaplasmosis).

Territorial Infighting: 74 lions died due to violent conflicts driven by habitat saturation.

A NARENDRA MODI CREATED DISASTER

The government of Gujarat—led by then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi—repeatedly opposed and delayed the translocation of Asiatic lions out of the state despite recommendations from conservation scientists, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and a mandate from the Supreme Court of India.

In 1993, the WII and independent wildlife experts recommended creating a second geographically independent habitat for the Asiatic lion. Because the entire global population of wild Asiatic lions lives in and around the Gir landscape, scientists warned that a single catastrophic event—such as an epidemic (like Canine Distemper Virus), a forest fire, or genetic bottlenecking—could wipe out the entire species.

Between 1995 and 1998, Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (now Kuno National Park) in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as the prime site for a second home. MP spent years preparing the sanctuary, relocating over 20 villages and thousands of families to build a prey base and secure the habitat.

Gujarat’s Stance under Narendra Modi: The Gujarat state government continuously refused to part with any lions. The state frame of opposition revolved heavily around "Gujarati Asmita" (Gujarati pride), with Modi and his government asserting that the lions were Gujarat’s exclusive heritage.

On April 15, 2013, the Supreme Court of India issued a landmark verdict rejecting Gujarat's arguments. The court ruled that no state holds individual "ownership" over wild animals, that ecological necessity supersedes state pride, and ordered the Central Government and Gujarat to shift a pack of lions to Kuno within six months.

Legal Appeals & Delays: Under Modi’s administration, Gujarat filed review and curative petitions against the judgment, delaying implementation. After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the administrative push to execute the SC order stalled entirely.

The scientific warnings proved prescient in late 2018 when an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) and Babesiosis killed over two dozen Gir lions in a matter of weeks, reigniting criticism from ecologists over the failure to diversify their location.

Instead of receiving Asiatic lions, Kuno National Park was repurposed to host African cheetahs under Project Cheetah. Meanwhile, Gujarat continues to keep all Asiatic lions within the state, focusing on expanding their range locally into places like Barda and eastern Saurashtra. Now that Kuno has been repurposed for Cheetahs, Gir Lion relocation to Kuno is out of question.

Following the realization that Kuno would no longer receive lions, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change identified six alternative sites across other states under the broader Project Lion framework:

Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh)

Madhav National Park (Madhya Pradesh)

Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan)

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan)

Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan)

However, with Modi now sitting in Delhi, despite these alternate sites being evaluated on paper, no inter-state lion translocations have taken place. The 2013 Supreme Court order mandating inter-state translocation remains unfulfilled, and the Asiatic lion population remains concentrated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

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