India needs a second home for Asiatic lions
Reports by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have repeatedly highlighted that the entire global wild population of Asiatic lions is concentrated in and around the Gir landscape in Gujarat — a single-point-of-failure for the subspecies' survival.
The 16th Asiatic Lion Census (2025) recorded 891 lions across Gujarat — a 32.2% rise from 674 in the 2020 census — with their range expanding from 30,000 sq km to 35,000 sq km across 11 districts.
Despite the population growth, 44% of lions now live outside protected areas, increasing human-wildlife conflict and exposing the population to uncontrolled threats including disease outbreaks, poaching, and infrastructure accidents.
The WII has assessed Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (~192 sq km, ~100 km from Gir in Saurashtra) as capable of supporting around 40 adult and sub-adult lions, and the Gujarat Forest Department has begun translocating prey species (spotted deer, sambar) there to build a viable prey base.
Conservationists and courts have long argued that Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh — geographically distinct from Gir — is the scientifically preferred second home, as geographic separation is the primary conservation objective.
Asiatic Lion: Taxonomy, Status, and India's Unique Responsibility
The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies distinct from the African lion (Panthera leo leo). India holds the only surviving wild population of this subspecies. Its presence exclusively in Gujarat makes India the sole custodian of the subspecies' wild future — a fact that elevates conservation decisions from national policy to global biodiversity responsibility.
Key Details
- IUCN Red List status: Endangered (downlisted from Critically Endangered in 2008 following population recovery, but the single-site concentration keeps the Endangered designation valid).
- Listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — the highest protection category under Indian law, prohibiting hunting, trade, or disturbance.
- Gir National Park and adjoining sanctuaries (Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Pania Wildlife Sanctuary) together constitute the core habitat.
- The 2025 census recorded 17 lions in the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary — the first confirmed population outside the Gir landscape since 1879.
The article's central argument rests on this taxonomic uniqueness — if a single catastrophic event (epidemic, cyclone, wildfire) strikes Gir, the subspecies loses its only wild refuge. This is the foundational case for a second population site.
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Protected Area Framework
The Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 is the primary legislation governing wildlife conservation in India. It establishes the hierarchy of protected areas and specifies the legal protections applicable to listed species. For species like the Asiatic lion listed under Schedule I, even disturbance or pursuit without causing bodily harm is an offence.
Key Details
- National Park (NP): Strictest category — no human habitation, grazing, or resource extraction permitted; boundaries can only be altered by the State Legislature.
- Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS): Allows limited human activity and customary rights; boundaries can be modified by the State Government.
- Tiger Reserve / Critical Tiger Habitat: Declared under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA); no human activity permitted in the core zone.
- The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) — chaired by the Prime Minister — must approve any change of use, diversion, or translocation within protected areas.
The translocation of lions from Gir (a National Park) to Barda (a Wildlife Sanctuary) requires NBWL clearance and must follow scientific protocols under WPA provisions — making this as much a legal process as a biological one.
Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project and Supreme Court Order (2013)
In April 2013, the Supreme Court of India directed the translocation of some Asiatic lions from Gir to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary (now Kuno National Park) in Madhya Pradesh — overruling Gujarat government objections — explicitly citing the extinction risk of a single-population species. The Gujarat government filed a curative petition, which was dismissed on 14 August 2014.
Key Details
- The Supreme Court's 2013 order in Centre for Environment Law, WWF-India v. Union of India is the landmark ruling establishing the legal obligation to establish a second lion population.
- Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh: declared a National Park in 2018; it was the originally identified site for lion reintroduction, later used for cheetah reintroduction in 2022.
- The Gujarat government's resistance to lion translocation to Kuno has continued despite the court order, with the state proposing intra-state alternatives (including Barda) instead.
- Geographic proximity is the core expert objection to Barda as a second home: at ~100 km from Gir, a large-scale disease outbreak could still affect both populations simultaneously.
The ongoing debate about Barda vs. Kuno as the second home is directly rooted in this 2013 Supreme Court order — the court mandate remains legally operative.
Project Lion: Government's Long-Term Conservation Framework
Project Lion was announced in August 2020 as part of India's broader species recovery programme. Modelled on the success of Project Tiger (1973), it aims to secure the long-term future of Asiatic lions through habitat improvement, advanced monitoring, prey base enhancement, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.
Key Details
- Announced on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day (August 15, 2020).
- Administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Gujarat Forest Department.
- Employs radio-collaring, camera-trap networks, and satellite telemetry for population monitoring.
- The 'Lion @47' vision document outlines a target population and range expansion roadmap up to India's centenary of independence (2047).
- Barda Wildlife Sanctuary features explicitly in Project Lion's site assessment as a secondary habitat within Gujarat.
The WII's recommendation for a second home and the Barda translocation plan are both components of the Project Lion framework — giving this debate an official policy dimension, not merely an academic one.
- Asiatic lion global wild population (2025 census): 891 (all in Gujarat).
- 2020 census count: 674 — representing a 32.2% increase over five years.
- Range of lion population: ~35,000 sq km across 11 districts of Gujarat (2025).
- Lions outside protected areas: ~44% of the total population (507 individuals in 2025 vs. 340 in 2020).
- Gir core area lion count: 394 (Gir NP + Gir WLS + Pania WLS combined).
- Barda Wildlife Sanctuary area: ~192 sq km; located in Saurashtra, ~100 km from Gir, near Porbandar.
- Barda lion count (2025 census): 17 — first confirmed lions in Barda since 1879.
- Kuno National Park area: ~748 sq km (Madhya Pradesh); Supreme Court-mandated lion reintroduction site (2013).
- IUCN status: Endangered (Panthera leo persica).
- WPA 1972 Schedule I protection: applies to Asiatic lion; hunting or disturbance is a cognisable, non-bailable offence.