In search of new homes

As Asiatic lions outgrow their last refuge in Gujarat’s Gir forests, they are crossing the state borders and even venturing into unlikely coastal areas to establish new territories

- HIMANSHU NITNAWARE

THE ASIATIC lions could be settling in a new territory outside their protected turf in Gujarat, at least so it seems. On March 16, a lion was spotted lounging by the roadside near the airport on Diu island, which is part of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Forest officials say the animal might have wandered off from Gujarat’s Gir forests, the only place in the world where Asiatic lions (Panthera leo leo) can be seen roaming freely in the wild. Earlier in February, the Gujarat forest department captured two male lions from Diu and drove them back to their habitat. In fact, there have been at least 10 such instances in the past six months, when the forest department had to bring back lions from Diu after complaints from local authorities.

DT Vasavada, former chief conservator of forests, Junagarh wildlife circle, which is part of the Gir protected forest area, says that the Diu island borders the Gir national park and wildlife sanctuary and is separated from the mainland only by a tidal creek. The lions thus tend to swim across when the tide is low. “Habitation territory of wildlife does not conform to political borders. So for the lions, Diu island is a contiguous landscape of their territory,” says AP Singh, principal chief conservator of forests, Gujarat.

Some conservationists and researchers, however, say the frequent sightings of lions in Diu indicate the Gir protected area has reached its carrying capacity for the animal.

Asiatic lions, a sub-species of