Environment News

16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation 2026

August 14 , 2026 12 hrs 0 min 14 0

The 16th Lion population estimation (May 2025) recorded an increase in the Asiatic Lion population to 891 individuals across the Greater Gir landscape in Gujarat.
It is with a growth of 32 per cent rise from 674 lions since 2020.
It has risen to 891 in 2025 from 523 in 2015.
It is marking an increase of more than 70 per cent in a decade.
Historically, the Asiatic lion inhabited regions across Asia, spanning from Persia and Mesopotamia to the Indian subcontinent.
Only around 40-60 lions remained in and around Gir in the early 1900s because of overhunting and habitat loss.
India established the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in 1965.
The princely State of Junagadh was among the first to protect the species.
The Government attributed the increase to strict legal protection, revival of the lions’ prey base and a landscape-level conservation approach.
Wild prey such as spotted deer, sambar, nilgai and wild pig now account for about 74 per cent of the lions’ diet.
The return of lions to Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat has been a notable part of the expansion.
As numbers rose, lions expanded into new territories, which prompted the creation of further protected zones, including Gir National Park and wildlife sanctuaries such as Girnar, Mitiyala, Pania, and Barda.
Community participation has also been central to the conservation effort.
Project Lion, launched in 2020, now covers about 60,000 sq km of Saurashtra.
The Asiatic lion is a subspecies of lion scientifically known as Panthera leo persica.
The lion (Panthera leo) is a large, powerful apex predator and the second-largest big cat species in the world, second only to the tiger
It’s only natural wild population survives in India, mainly in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The global list of seven big cats includes the Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
India is home to 5 of the 7 major big cat species recognized globally by the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), lacking only the Jaguar and the Puma.