Gallery: The Forgotten Asiatic Lion (And Why Politicians Could Doom Them Forever)

OA depressing study published earlier this month showed that lions are nearly extinct in West Africa. Lions in southern and eastern Africa are having a hard time too with their numbers declining. But while things aren't great at all for African lions, the often-forgotten Asiatic lion in India has—in strictly relative terms—been doing better. But for how long?

Numbers of Asiatic lions have more than doubled in 35 years to a respectable 411 individuals in 2010. This is quite an achievement, especially when you consider that there were only 18 individuals left in 1893. The Asiatic lion was driven to the brink of extinction by the advent of guns, which suddenly gave humans the luxury of killing without risking their own lives. During the Indian Revolution of 1857, a British soldier alone apparently killed 300 lions. Or so the story goes, but then again, every story has some truth in it, doesn't it?

Looking at the bigger picture though, the number of Asiatic lions left is still very low and it gets worse when you take into account the fact that all wild individuals are part of one single population, located in one forest (Gir Forest) of one Indian State (Gujarat). This leaves the remaining individuals very susceptible to catastrophic events and unless more populations crop up elsewhere, the Asiatic lion will forever be a vulnerable species, flirting with extinction.

But 20 years on, the lions are yet to arrive. Perhaps the real misfortune of the Asiatic lion is not that it is limited to one population in one remote part of the world, but rather that its fate rests upon bickering Indian politicians.

To this day the Gujarat state government voraciously opposes the relocation of its lions, blabbering that Madhya Pradesh will be unable to look after the lions properly and making hollow comments about its neighbour's gun culture and less generous people. But if the lions' welfare were really close to Gujarat's heart, it is ironic that it found it perfectly acceptable to send two pairs of Asiatic lions to a zoo in Lucknow, a city in Northern India, where "visitors can drive through a thoroughfare, spotting lions roaming in the safari."

The staunch opposition from Gujarat most probably has nothing to do with the lions' wellbeing and future but likely results from economical and political considerations. Currently 60,000 tourists visit the Asiatic lions in Gujarat every year. So, losing its exclusivity could hamper tourism revenue. As also happens to be the case, the Chief Minister of Gujarat will be competing against India's governing party (which is behind the relocation of lions) in this year's general elections.

Madhya Pradesh however is not an innocent victim. While it has acted quickly to accommodate Asiatic lions, its own motives do not appear to be motivated by the lion's wellbeing. As John R. Platt points out in Scientific American, the Madhya Pradesh national government has seemed particularly keen to accommodate lions for tourism purposes. Its tourism department used Gir lions on its website at some point—even though there were no lions in the state. More recently, its Chief Minister has gone on the record, demanding that the lions be marketed on an international level to attract tourists, as soon as some individuals are relocated.

That the lions will eventually arrive in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary does look inevitable though. In April last year, the supreme court ruled in favour of the relocation of some Asiatic lions from the Gir Forest of Gujarat to the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary. Although Gujarat has appealed and has vehemently contested any propositions or panels set up to discuss ways to effectively relocate lions, it ultimately looks to be failing. So the real question then is when the relocation will finally happen. Sadly this looks like it is still up in the air. And that is a major problem.

The lions in the Gujarat's Gir Forest are quickly outgrowing their reserve. If nothing is done to alleviate this problem soon, it is only a matter of time before lions clash with humans—and there is only ever going to be one winner then. With the population of the Asiatic lions shooting up in recent years, new packs are exploring new territories, bringing them dangerously close to human settlements. A study conducted last year looked at locations of lion kills. From these data, the study found that lions were venturing over 20,000 km² of land—almost double the 10,500 km² recorded three years before. It also reported lions preying on domestic and herbivorous wild animals in or around 1,500 villages.

With Gujarat politicians seemingly keen to hamper the relocation process by any means and with no proper timeline for relocation set, funding from international funders are bound to run dry at some point. Or funders may just decide to pull out if they don't see any potential for progress.

At the end of the day, as politicians quarrel, masquerading their petty arguments as concern for the Asiatic lions' wellbeing, it is the big cat that suffers. Villagers, who have been largely accommodating until now, will start to turn against the Asiatic lions, while conservationists will find international support and backing dissipate.

Thanks to conservationists, the Asiatic lion is the only lion subspecies that is seeing an increase in numbers. But the Asiatic lion is also the only one that could be wiped out in one instant because of the follies of inept, unscrupulous politicians.

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GALLERY

The Asiatic lion may be smaller than its African cousins, but it is still ferocious... (From flickr.)

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... and daunting... (From flickr.)

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... and... umm... lazy!? (From flickr.)

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They are probably the only lions that enjoy snow. (From flickr.)

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They enjoy snow a lot actually. (From flickr.)

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To be honest, the cubs are just as adorable. (From flickr.)

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But in case you let your guards down, they'll probably eat a chunk of your flesh without hesitation. Still cute though. (From flickr.)

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Since they are very social, they make beautiful families. Here's daddy lion jumping on his son... (From flickr.)

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... and here's mummy lion with her son. (From flickr.)

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So yes, those Asiatic lions must be protected and they must be allowed to roam to other regions. Incompetent politicians should not be allowed to doom these magnificent animals... (From flickr.)