Gandhinagar: Gir Wildlife Sanctuary at Sasangir witnessed over 17.87 lakh visitors in the last two years, the state government informed. In a reply to a question, the Forest Minister shared visitor and revenue data as of December 31, 2025, in the Assembly. According to the official figures, 8,59,262 visitors visited Gir Sanctuary in 2024, while 9,28,416 visitors were recorded in 2025, bringing the total to 17,87,678. During the same period, a total of 1,45,214 permits were issued in 2024 and 1...Read More

Gir: In two separate incidents in the Gir region, a five-year-old boy was killed in a lion attack in Dhari taluka, while in another incident in Girgadhda, an eight-year-old girl was rescued by her mother after a lioness grabbed her in its mouth. According to forest officials, the first incident occurred in Manavav village of the Sarsia range in Dhari (Gir East), where a migrant family was living on a farm owned by Anakbhai Lakhubhai Wala. The victim, Dhawal Ishwarbhai Katara (5), was attacked b...Read More

Mumbai: Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel requesting the allotment of two pairs of Asiatic lions for the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Byculla. In her letter, Tawde urged the Gujarat government to send lions for the zoo, where a specially built enclosure has remained vacant for several years despite being ready. The lion habitat has been designed to replicate Maldhari settlements near Kutch and the Gir forest region, featuri...Read More

Gandhinagar: Fresh data on the lion population and mortality in Gujarat has been tabled in the State Assembly, revealing significant figures related to both conservation efforts and deaths over the past two years. As of January 31, 2026, the state is home to 255 adult male lions, 405 lionesses, and 231 cubs, according to official data presented in the House. However, alongside the population details, the mortality figures have raised concerns. Between 2024 and January 2026, a total of 322 lion...Read More

Gir: A routine early-morning passenger train journey near the Gir forest briefly turned tense when a pride of 10 lions was spotted on the tracks, but swift action by the loco pilot averted a possible disaster. On Monday, the Veraval–Junagadh passenger train was passing through the Sasan Gir–Kansiyanesh section when the loco pilot, Ramavatar Meena, noticed the lions ahead in low light. He and co-pilot Sonu Sharma immediately applied emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt in time an...Read More

Amreli: Two Asiatic lions died in separate incidents reported from the Amreli and Gir Somnath districts in the Saurashtra region of the state. One lion, around two years old, fell into an open well in Kankot village of Liliya taluka. According to details, local residents spotted the fallen lion in the well and informed the forest department. Upon receiving the information, a forest department team, including the Liliya Range RFO, immediately reached the spot and brought the lion out of the well...Read More

Gir: In a striking example of wildlife intersecting with human infrastructure, Asiatic lions were recently seen crossing railway tracks inside Gir National Park. The moment was captured in videos shared by wildlife enthusiast and Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), a lioness is seen calmly leading her cubs across the tracks amid a serene forest backdrop. Nathwani described the scene as “quiet and beautiful,” yet fraught with “invisible danger,” em...Read More

Pauri Garhwal: Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali Yogpeeth has ignited a wave of curiosity across social media after claiming that an Asiatic lion was spotted in the state of Uttarakhand. According to a post shared by Balkrishna, the big cat from Gir jungle was sighted at the Herbal World Himalaya at Shri Dhanvantari Dham, located in the Pauri Garhwal district. Balkrishna accompanied his claim with two photographs of the lion, describing the event as a phenomenon that is “beyond imagination,” ...Read More

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday drew a cultural parallel between India and Ethiopia, saying he felt “very much at home” in the African nation as both Ethiopia and his home state Gujarat are known as the land of lions. Beginning his address at a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament, PM Modi said, “It is wonderful to be here in Ethiopia, the land of lions. I feel very much at home. Because my home state Gujarat in India is also home to lions.” He desc...Read More

Gir Somnath: A tragic incident has been reported in the Gir forest region, where a lioness attacked and killed a two-year-old girl today. This is the third such incident in the last 24 hours in the state. The attack occurred in Pichhvi, a village in Kodinar taluka of the Gir region. The victim, Aaradhya Harsukhbhai Makwana, belonging to a Maldhari family, was in the garden area of her house with her family when a lioness emerged from the forest, snatched the child, and dragged her into the fore...Read More