Main image Via Malay Mail

Wildlife lovers have something worth celebrating, as India records its Asiatic lion population having increased by almost 29 per cent since 2015. Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi took to his Twitter account to announce the amazing news.

With his tweet reading,

“Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest is up by almost 29%”.

“Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat.”

Two very good news:

Population of the majestic Asiatic Lion, living in Gujarat’s Gir Forest, is up by almost 29%.

Geographically, distribution area is up by 36%.

Kudos to the people of Gujarat and all those whose efforts have led to this excellent feat.https://t.co/vUKngxOCa7 pic.twitter.com/TEIT2424vF

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2020

The rise in the number of lions is amazing news according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as the majestic creatures that live in the Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat, are considered as an endangered species.

Threats that they face include poaching and habitat loss, especially modernization when roads and temples built have infringed their habitats, as stated on WWF’s website.

Modi also said that the recent news of the increasing lion species were due to various factors such as community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise the human-lion conflict.

Over the last several years, the Lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising. This is powered by community participation, emphasis on technology, wildlife healthcare, proper habitat management and steps to minimise human-lion conflict. Hope this positive trend continues!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2020

In a statement the prime minister has said that “a consistent increase in population and distribution area of the Asiatic lions is mainly because of effective conservation and management by the Gujarat Forest Department.

“Gujarat Forest Department remains committed for the long term conservation of Asiatic Lions.”

The statement also said that data on the number of lions was collected using a method known as Poonam Avlokan which is an exercise done by Gujarat Forest Department’s forest staff using the Block Count method – a strategy employed to count wildlife animals in a particular area. 

 With all the negative news shared around the globe it is refreshing to know that nature is flourishing again.

Info Via Malay mail