World Lion Day

August 12, 2022

World Lion Day is being observed globally on 10th August. The day aims to spread awareness about lions and the urgent need to strive for their conservation.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said that Asiatic Lions population has shown a steady increase with an increased rate of nearly twenty-nine per cent.
He highlighted that the distribution of the lions has increased from an area of 22 thousand square kilometers in 2015 to 30 thousand square kilometers in 2020.
The Minister stressed that there has been a consistent increase in the population and distribution area of Asiatic Lions. He described that several strategies and interventions have been implemented by the Ministry to continue the upward trend of conservation.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” with an aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem. Asiatic lions that once ranged from Iran to Palamau district of Jharkhand were almost driven to extinction by indiscriminate hunting and habitat loss.
According to the United Nations, lion populations have dropped by more than 40 per cent in the last two decades. It said unrestricted exploitation of wildlife threatens Mother Earth’s biological diversity and causes ecological imbalance.
First World Lion Day was observed in 2013 to safeguard lions in their natural environment. At present, between 30 thousand to one lakh lions are left in the world. To ensure the safety of lions, it is crucial to increase public awareness of the threats they face, protect their natural habitat, and build more of these kinds of habitats.