Arrival, rise, fall, and again rise of the Asiatic lion Panthera leo leo in India

Many animal populations have shifted their distribution and emigrated to new areas in response to climate change, and lions in India have had a similar story. This commentary examines historical records, environmental barriers, climate change in the region of Indus-Sarasvati rivers that created conditions for lions’s entry in India. Recovery of artefacts of several wild animals and near absence of lion in these ancient artworks at any site of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization revealed that lion was absent or rare beyond the east of the Indus River in India before 2000 BCE. Environment progressed from the moist conditions to dry in the Indus-Sarasvati region between 2600 and 1500 BCE, discharge of snow water from the Himalayas declined and many large rivers of Indus-Sarasvati system transformed into seasonal rivers. Also, the dense forests transformed to thorn forests and savannah like vegetation over a period after 2000 BCE. Subsequently, Asiatic lions from the ancient Persian land got suitable environment and opportunity to cross the Indus valley to the east. After a period, lion population flourished reaching its peak in India during Buddha-Mauryan-Gupta period (600 BCE – 500 AD). Hunting records revealed that the distribution and abundance of lions remained at its peak during the Mughal and early British period before end of the Little Ice Age during the mid-19th century. Subsequently, fall of the Asiatic lion was sharp as numbers declined below hundred. After a long critical period of ups and downs, Asiatic lion’s number and distribution range is on consistent rise since declaration of Gir Lion Sanctuary Project in the early 1970s. Since then, lion population has increased by five folds (891 individuals in 2025) along with impressive recovery of wild ungulate population, turning management approach into one of the most successful wildlife conservation stories in the world. Considering dispersion trend of the lions and their arrival to Barda forest, an identified alternative site for lion, Gujarat Government has prepared a long term comprehensive project, “The Project Lion @2047-A vision of Amrut Kal” to secure and manage the growing lion population and its potential habitats distributed in entire Saurashtra region.