For the project around ₹2,927.71 crore approved, including establishing a National Referral Centre for wildlife (NRC-W) in Gujarat’s Junagadh district.
About NRC-W
- The Centre aims to track wildlife diseases, especially those transmissible to humans.
- E.g.: Babesiosis (targets red blood cells in lions) outbreak in 2020 killed 23 lions in Gujarat's Gir National Park.
- Focus on four principles: surveillance, response, prevention, and preparedness.
- Nodal Agency: Central Zoo Authority
Conservation Efforts
- Project Lion: Launched in 2020 & aim to secures Asiatic lions through habitat improvement and advanced monitoring with radio-collars and cameras.
- Conservation Status: IUCN: Vulnerable; Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I and IV; CITES: Appendix I.
- Other Initiatives for Lions: International Big Cats Alliance (2023); Greater Gir Concept: Involves creating new lion habitats beyond Gir National Park and Sanctuary.
- Barda Wildlife Sanctuary has emerged as a “second home” for lions.
About Lion
- Lions live in prides in grasslands and plains.
- Males patrol and proclaim their territory through scent marking.
- Females and sisters stay together for life; males leave at maturity.
- Lions rest or sleep 20 hours daily and hunt at night for easier prey capture.
- Lions do not have a specific breeding season, and their gestation period lasts approximately 100 to 119 days.
