Asiatic lions

As Gujarat’s lions grow from 674 to 891, they’re learning to share space with farmers, roam new landscapes, and offer rare lessons in coexistence and hope. Here's how one of India's rarest species is holding on.

“But what has undoubtedly weighed with the Nawabs of Junagadh in the past and carries weight also with me is that the forest is the last sanctuary of Indian lions,” said the last Nawab of Junagadh.

Gir is the only home to Asiatic animals in the continent and as per the 2015 census, the lion population there was 523. Within three weeks, 23 big cats were reported dead and became a matter of rightful concern.