AHMEDABAD: The number of lions that died in the Gir sanctuary and
outside the reserved forest area has increased in the past two years.
Officials, however, say that this is to be expected as the total number
of lions in Gir and surrounding areas had also increased sharply in the
recent past.
In the year 2012, only 45 lions had died but the
very next year, this increased to 65. In 2014, the number of lion deaths
was 64. The total number of lions that had died in the past two years
stands at 129.
A senior official of the forest department said
that the rise in deaths is directly related to the increase in
population. Around 10-15% of the total number of Asiatic lions has
always been recorded in Gujarat. Hence, when the total number of the big
cats was around 411, around 42-45 lion deaths were recorded. Now with
the increase in population, the number of deaths has predictably
increased, said the official.
In 2014, lion deaths due to unnatural causes were around 15% of the
total deaths in the year. The officials said that in 2014 around 10
lions had died after falling in wells or were run over by speeding
trains. There are around 500 lions, including cubs, in Gir. Hence the
death of 64 big cats was nearly 15% of the total, said the officials.
Experts feel that around 15 to 20% of the total population of lions
dying is normal. A study, "Demographic parameters of endangered Asiatic
lions (Panthera leo persica) in Gir Forests, India," by Kausik Banerjee
and Yadvendradev V. Jhala, reveals that adult lions had died primarily
due to natural causes (54.5%). Deaths caused by man were also
substantial (43.2%) and were likely additive to natural causes. The
study was carried out between 2000 and 2010.
Experts feel that
the death of cubs below the age of three comprised a major portion of
total deaths. If 100 cubs are born, only 36 survived till the age of
three, said officials. In the past five years, the number of lions that
had died since the 2010 census was 258 lions.
Year No of Deaths 2010 42 2011 42 2012 45 2013 65 2014 64
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