Porbandar: A lion named ‘Columbus’ brought new life to Barda Wildlife Sanctuary after 132 years. He mated with three lionesses, and as a result, two lionesses gave birth to four cubs in the past two and a half months. Currently, one lioness is pregnant. Lion enthusiasts are thrilled by this news.

Columbus, a young male lion aged around three and a half years, reached Barda Sanctuary on January 18, 2023, travelling from Madhavpur via the sea route. He was first sighted in the jungle beat of Ranavav Range on October 3, 2022. Porbandar Forest Department fitted a radio collar on him on October 29, 2022, to monitor him.

The forest department introduced three lionesses to keep Columbus company after his solitary arrival in Barda Sanctuary. Two lionesses have already given birth to two cubs each in the mountainous terrain near Bhavnvad. The third lioness, currently pregnant, has retreated deeper into the forest. This brings the total number of lions in Barda Hills to eight, including Columbus, three lionesses, and four cubs.

The initiative to reintroduce lions in Barda began in 2002 to create a safe habitat for Asiatic lions outside Gir. Previous attempts with lion pairs like Yuvraj and Sarita, and Nagraj and Parvati, yielded limited success because of challenges in providing a truly natural environment. In contrast, Columbus’s independent arrival and successful integration with introduced lionesses brought positive results. DeshGujarat