The population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat has witnessed a remarkable surge, growing from 674 individuals in 2020 to 891 in 2025, according to the latest census by the Gujarat Forest Department. This 32% increase represents one of the highest growth rates for a big cat population globally. However, the census reveals a significant ecological shift: for the first time, a majority of the lions roughly 57% are now living outside the traditional core protected areas of the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Expansion into “Satellite” Populations
While the core Gir Protected Area remains the heart of their habitat, it is now considered “saturated,” hosting 394 lions. The remaining population has fanned out into nine distinct “satellite” regions across the Saurashtra landscape. This expansion has increased the lions’ spatial distribution by nearly 17%, covering approximately 35,000 square kilometers across 11 districts.
One of the most notable findings is the natural “recolonization” of the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, where lions were last seen in 1879. Today, Barda hosts 17 lions, a milestone credited to improved ecological corridors and prey availability. Other significant populations have established themselves in human-dominated landscapes, such as the Savarkundla-Liliya region (125 lions) and along the coastal thickets of Bhavnagar, where Casuarina plantations and Prosopis juliflora thickets provide adequate cover.
The Challenge of Coexistence
The movement of lions into non-forested zones, including agricultural fields and “wastelands,” brings them into more frequent contact with humans. While many farmers tolerate lions because they keep crop-raiding herbivores like nilgai and wild pigs in check, the transition presents serious risks. Between 2020 and 2025, a total of 669 lions died, with a sharp rise in unnatural causes such as falling into open wells, electrocution from illegal fences, and accidents on railway tracks and highways.
Illness remains a critical threat, with nearly half of the fatalities in the last two years attributed to disease, including concerns over the highly contagious Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). Wildlife experts argue that the geographical isolation of this single population makes them vulnerable to a catastrophic epidemic, fueling ongoing calls for a secondary habitat to be established, such as in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Sanctuary.
A Modern Census Approach
The 2025 census, or the 16th Lion Population Estimation, utilized the minimal total count method (Direct Beat Verification). Over 3,000 personnel, including foresters and volunteers, monitored 735 sampling units over a 24-hour period. Data was entered in real-time using the e-gujforest application, which recorded GPS locations and photographs to ensure accuracy and prevent duplicate sightings.
Despite the controversies regarding census methodology and the rising conflict, the recovery of the Asiatic lion remains a global conservation success story. The species, once on the brink of extinction with fewer than 50 individuals, has been reclassified by the IUCN from “critically endangered” to “endangered” (and more recently evaluated as “vulnerable” in some regional assessments), reflecting the resilience of the species and the effectiveness of habitat protection.