Over the past two years, 307 Asiatic lions died in Gujarat, with 41 fatalities attributed to unnatural causes, State Forest Minister Mulubhai Bera informed the legislative assembly during its monsoon session, which concluded Wednesday. Responding to a query from Aam Aadmi Party MLA Umesh Makwana, Bera detailed that the state government allocated ₹37.35 crore to mitigate such deaths, amid concerns over the endangered species’ survival in its sole global habitat, the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.

Between August 2023 and July 2024, 141 lions perished, followed by 166 deaths from August 2024 to July 2025. Of the total, 20 lions died after falling into open wells, nine drowned in water bodies, five were killed by trains, three by electrocution, and two each from road accidents and natural calamities. These figures highlight ongoing challenges in protecting the 891 lions recorded in the 2025 census, a 32% increase from 2020’s 674.

To curb unnatural deaths, the government has implemented measures like constructing parapet walls around wells, erecting railway track fences near Gir, and installing speed breakers and signboards on sanctuary roads. Additional efforts include veterinary treatment centres, ambulance services, regular forest patrols, and radio-collaring lions for tracking. Despite these initiatives, conservationists question their effectiveness, citing a rise in deaths from 286 in 2021–22.

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The deaths, particularly from preventable causes like open wells and train collisions, have sparked debate over habitat safety and disease management. With Gujarat hosting the world’s only Asiatic lion population, the government faces pressure to strengthen conservation strategies to ensure the species’ long-term survival.

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