A study in the journal PLOS One has concluded that Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, the 192 sq km hill forest spread over Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts, can sustain Asiatic lions over the long term. Gujarat Forest Department officers led the work with researchers from Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, ANI reported via Open. The sanctuary now holds 17 lions, according to study author Mohan Ram, Conservator of Forests for the Junagadh Circle.
The paper, titled “Beyond Gir: Barda Wildlife Sanctuary as a Potential Stronghold for Asiatic Lions”, rests on radio-collar data. Researchers tracked six lions (one male and five females) and logged more than 1.69 lakh GPS locations between January 2023 and July 2025, IANS reported via Punjab Kesari. The animals used both forest and grassland, held stable home ranges and formed social groups, both agencies reported.
Why a second home matters
Nearly all of the world’s wild Asiatic lions live in one landscape in Saurashtra, centred on Gir. Conservation biologists have warned for decades that a single population can be wiped out by one disease outbreak or disaster. Gujarat had a close call in 2018, when canine distemper virus and tick-borne infections killed more than 20 lions in Gir’s eastern ranges.
The standard answer has been a second population somewhere else. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered some Gir lions shifted to Kuno in Madhya Pradesh. Gujarat never sent them, and Kuno received African cheetahs from 2022 instead. Barda has become Gujarat’s own version of that safeguard: a separate site in western Saurashtra, still inside the state.
The lions made the first move. A male walked into Barda on his own, ending an absence of roughly 144 years by the study’s count. The Forest Department then released five females to start a breeding group. Forests and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia has described Barda as a buffer for lions dispersing from the south-western side of Gir.
Feeding and guarding 17 lions
A predator population needs prey, and Barda’s has been built up by hand. The department moved 441 chital from Gir to Barda in 2025-26, both agencies reported. It has released captive-bred spotted deer since 2007, and sambar as well. Officials also cite about 3,200 hectares of habitat work this year, including removal of invasive plants and grassland development, plus eight full-time trackers who check on the lions every day.
What it means for Porbandar and Dwarka
- More visitors. Barda’s ecotourism programme started in 2024. Visitor numbers rose from 2,271 in its first year to 3,359 in 2025-26, a rise of about 48%, according to forest officials. Local residents work as guides and safari operators.
- Living alongside lions. Villages and maldhari herders around the hills will see more lions and more livestock losses. The department says it has strengthened its rapid-response teams for such conflict.
- A new administrative footprint. Last month the department redrew the Porbandar Forest Division around the lion range, as we reported on October 1.
Outlook
Seventeen lions do not make a self-sustaining population. Barda’s numbers depend on births outpacing deaths and on more lions moving in from Gir. Two signals are worth tracking. The next lion count will show whether Barda’s group is growing, and the department’s chital releases will show whether the prey base can keep up. The study gives Gujarat a scientific basis to keep investing in the site. Whether the state also plans a corridor linking Barda to Gir, and how it handles conflict with farmers along that route, will decide how far the “second home” idea goes.
Sources: Open (with ANI inputs), IANS via Punjab Kesari, ANI
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.