As we commemorate World Lions Day today, there is quite a pleasing news for the passionate lovers of the mighty Asiatic cat found in India. Tweeting on the occasion, the PM wrote, “The lion is majestic and courageous. India is proud to be home to the Asiatic Lion. On World Lion Day, I convey my greetings to all those passionate about lion conservation. It would make you happy that the last few years have seen a steady increase in India’s lion population.”
A number of bureaucrats also lauded the “success story’’ of the Indian lion.
World Lions Day is celebrated every year on 10th August. It signifies the importance of lions on Earth. It also spreads awareness about how humans can contribute to creating a safe habitat for the lions.
India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states. But when it comes to lions, Gujarat is the only state which provides home to wild Asiatic lions, all of which are found in the Gir forest. Asiatic lions are smaller than the lions found in Africa and have a distinguishing characteristic of having the longitudinal fold of skin that runs along its belly. This makes them different from the African lions where this characteristic is absent.
In India, as a major role of protecting this wild cat goes to the forest department, we have compiled a series of tweets of officers belonging to the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and other civil services.
