261 Asian Lions Die in Two Years! Experts Say: Either Total Number Exceeds 1,000 or Pandemic Will Break Out
In just two years, 261 Asian lions have died! Experts say: either the total number will exceed 1,000, or a pandemic will break out.
Asian lions are a subspecies of lions, and were once widespread in South Asia, Central Asia, and Western Asia. Due to habitat destruction and excessive hunting by humans, Asian lions have become extinct in many areas. Now, the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India, and the surrounding areas are the only natural habitat for Asian lions.
Recently, according to official statistics from the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in the two years from January 2018 to December 2019, 261 wild Asian lions living in the Gir Forest and surrounding areas died. In 2018, 113 Asian lions died, including 59 adult Asian lions and 54 cubs; in 2019, 148 Asian lions died, including 79 adult Asian lions and 69 cubs.
Of the 261 wild Asian lions that died, 244 were due to natural death, and 17 were due to unnatural death. The causes of natural death included old age, illness, inter-species competition, and floods, while the causes of unnatural death included road accidents, falling into deep wells, and eating poisonous food placed by humans.
Fig: In 2018, a male Asian lion died in a fight with another lion.
After entering the 21st century, India conducts a lion population census every 5 years to better understand their survival status. In 2005, a total of 359 Asian lions were counted in the Gir Forest and surrounding areas. In 2010, 411 Asian lions were counted. The latest Asian lion population census was completed in 2015, with a total of 523 Asian lions counted, including 109 male lions, 201 female lions, and 213 cubs.
The current Asian lion population census will take place in 2020, so we can only refer to the data from 2015 for now. However, at the time of 2018, some feline animal experts in India estimated that the Asian lion population had reached nearly 700. In 2018 and 2019, 244 Asian lions died due to natural factors, leading experts to believe that the total Asian lion population may have exceeded 1,000.
This inference is also based on the fact that approximately two-thirds of the 523 Asian lions counted in 2015 lived in the Gir Forest Protection Zone, and approximately one-third lived in the surrounding area. Now, the appearance of Asian lions in the surrounding area is more frequent, which may be due to the growth of the population and the increased competition within the protection zone.
However, some feline animal experts in India also believe that people should not be too optimistic. The high number of lion deaths does not necessarily indicate a significant increase in the population. It could also be due to a pandemic breaking out in the lion group.
This hypothesis is not without reason. In 2018, experts conducting autopsies on some dead Asian lions found that 29 died from canine distemper. Many other dead Asian lions were not subjected to autopsies, so it remains unknown how many Asian lions died from canine distemper in the past two years.
Fig: A dead Asian lion from canine distemper.
The exact number of wild Asian lions is something we can only wait for the 2020 census to determine. However, regardless of the number, they are a cat species that needs to be strengthened in protection. Because the population distribution is too concentrated, Asian lions are likely to suffer devastating blows in the future due to sudden natural disasters such as forest fires, pandemics, and floods. Humans must strengthen prevention to this extent.
