Back from the brink: Indian pride as Asiatic lions roar back

A powerful roar rocked the forest before the silhouette of a lioness appeared at an Indian reserve, a potent image of how conservation efforts have brought the creatures back from the brink.

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A group of school students posing for photographs next to a statue of an Asiatic lion at the Gir National Park in India's western state of Gujarat, (right) Visitors taking photographs of a lioness during a guided safari tour. - AFP PHOTOS

(AFP PHOTOS)

In Gir National Park, Asiaticlions reign over a 1,900-square-kilometre (735-square-mile) expanse of savannah and acacia and teak forests, their last refuge.

For a few minutes, cameras clicked wildly from safari jeeps, but as night falls and visitors leave, the mighty cat has still not moved a paw.

Gir’s success stems from more than three decades of rigorous conservation to expand the lions’ range, which now raises questions about the future of coexistence with humans.

Park chief Ramratan Nala celebrates the "huge success": lion numbers have risen by a third in five years, from 627 to 891.

"It’s a matter of pride for us,” Nala said, the head of government forests in the sprawling Junagadh district of the western state of Gujarat.

The Asiatic lion, slightly smaller than their African cousins, and identified by a fold of skin along its belly, historically roamed from the Middle East to India.

By the early 20th century, only about 20 remained, nearly wiped out by hunting and habitat loss.