Gujarat: 286 lions, 456 leopards died in two years, assembly told

As mainstream media went to town over how moved Prime Minister Narendra Modi was with Anant Ambani's determination to perform seva (service) for animals at his personal zoo Vantara, it seemed to have missed out on a related bit of news. At least 286 Asiatic lions, among them 143 cubs, died in Gujarat over the last two years, 58 of them from 'unnatural causes', as Gujarat forest minister Mulubhai Bera informed the assembly on 4 March.

Also among the dead are 456 leopards, 303 from natural causes and 153 from 'unnatural' reasons, such as injuries from being hit by vehicles or drowning in wells, Bera said.

Responding to a query by senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar during question hour, Bera said the 456 leopard fatalities, including 140 cubs, also occurred over two years — 2023 and 2024 — in the state.

Gujarat's famed Gir forest is home to the world’s largest population of Asiatic lions. However, the growing fatalities among them can only lead to a shrinking gene pool, raising the possibility of inbreeding and a diseased population.

Of the 286 lion deaths in Gujarat, 121 were reported in 2023 and 165 in 2024. As per the last census conducted in June 2020, the state is home to 674 Asiatic lions, mainly within the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.

In case of leopards, 225 died in 2023 and 231 in 2024, the minister said in a written reply in the assembly during the ongoing budget session.

IANS reported that PM Modi shared his thoughts on the commendable effort by Vantara — one of the world’s largest animal 'rehabilitation centres' — situated in Gujarat.

He said that it was serving as a "vibrant example of our centuries old ethos of protecting those we share our planet with."

Anant Ambani has a mission establishing Vantara, “There are a lot of people working [for human welfare] but in animal welfare, there are few… I think I was the chosen one and I was fortunate enough that [with] God’s blessings… I could do seva of animals… I see God within every animal,” he said.

In 2024, hundred and fifty zoos in the country were understaffed and underfunded. Might as well extend the seva and centuries old ethos of protection to them?

While Bera claims the state government has taken various steps to prevent unnatural deaths of big cats such as appointment of veterinary doctors and introduction of an ambulance service for timely intervention and treatment of lions and other wild animals, the recognition by several celebrities of Anant Ambani's 'valiant efforts' to protect the ecology under the benevolent guidance of PM Modi resulted in angry reactions form the public who not only questioned the validity of wildlife conversation acts but also the credibility of the one of the most revered public figures in the country -- Shah Rukh Khan.