Gandhinagar: For the first time since 1979, the forest department has shared the information about the sighting of an Asiatic lion in Gujarat’s Barda Wildlife Sanctuary. The first sighting of the lion is in October at the Madhavpur Range in the Porbandar Wildlife Division. After spending about three months in the coastal areas and barren land, it entered Barda. On October 29, the lion was radio-collared to track its movements. Rajya Sabha member Parimal Natwani, a member of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary’s advisory committee, shared detailed information about the lion. He informed that on January 18, a three-month-old male lion entered Barda.
Nityanand Srivastava Jarda, Principal Chief Forest Conservator of Barda Wildlife Sanctuary informed that the presence of the lion was discovered. He added that since the 1970s, preparations had been made for this in Barda. The growth of vegetation in the area is beneficial for sustaining herbivores. He also added that the availability of water here is suitable for the existence of carnivores. He said that Barda was already known as the second abode of lions.
The wildlife sanctuary was established in 1979. It is located at a distance of 100 km from Gir National Park in Gujarat. It is considered to be the second largest lion sanctuary among wildlife sanctuaries in Gujarat. According to the 2019 census, about 674 lions live in Gujarat. Of these, 325 to 350 live in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across 1,412 sq km.