Asiatic Lion Populations Outgrowing Their Sanctuary in India
The Asiatic lion once roamed through the Indian subcontinent, Mediterranean, and Middle East, but by 1907, the lions were down to only 13, and the Indian prince banned hunting the massive beasts.
In the past 105 years, the lion numbers have grown to 400 in the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian state of Gujarat, just a few kilometers from the Arabian Sea, but that sanctuary can no longer hold them.
As their populations grow, lions are finding their ways into villages, killing livestock and entering people’s homes. They rarely attack humans, but are often injured as villagers have put up rudimentary measures, like electric fences, to keep the predator from making their livestock prey. According to Scientific American, many conservationists and the Indian government think the smart thing to do is to transfer some of them elsewhere. One location where they are looking is the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
But, Gujarat doesn’t want to lose their lions, as both sides weigh the positives and negatives of relocating the animals.
Everyone agrees that it’s great to see the numbers increasing, but with lions creeping up to 500 and the human population in India growing to 1.2 billion, where will they all go? –Brian McClintock
