Now Reading: India’s Asiatic lion count hits 891 as Nehru Zoo marks World Lion Day
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India’s Asiatic lion count hits 891 as Nehru Zoo marks World Lion Day
Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad celebrated World Lion Day with keeper talks on lion behaviour, feeding, and breeding. The zoo houses both Asiatic and African lions and operates a 45-acre safari first…
The Story in Brief
Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad celebrated World Lion Day with keeper talks on lion behaviour, feeding, and breeding. The zoo houses both Asiatic and African lions and operates a 45-acre safari first opened in 1974.
Separately, Union minister Bhupender Yadav noted that India’s Asiatic lion population in the Gir landscape has risen to 891 as of May 2025, a 32 per cent jump from 674 in 2020. The range has expanded from 30,000 sq km to nearly 35,000 sq km across 11 districts. Yadav attributed the recovery to strict legal protection, habitat restoration, prey revival, and community support, citing the return of lions to Barda sanctuary after nearly 150 years.
The Indian Opinion
The rise of India’s Asiatic lion population to 891 is a genuine conservation win, but the official tone tends to smother real challenges. Expanding lion territory across 11 districts will inevitably increase human-wildlife conflict, and the 2007 poaching incident, the only one cited, may not remain the last if corridors stay insecure. The question now is not how many lions we have, but whether we can sustain coexistence as their range pushes into densely populated farmlands.
Sources (2): telanganatoday.com, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
