India officials say recent floods killed 10 endangered lions

Published
5

NEW DELHI: Officials say monsoon flooding that killed dozens of people in western India last month also hurt the world's last population of wild Asiatic lions.

The floods killed at least 81 people with mudslides, collapsed homes or high waters in Gujarat state, while thousands were forced to evacuate their homes.

Gujarat forest officials say in a report that the rains also killed at least 10 of the country's 523 lions-the last members of the subspecies left anywhere in the wild.

The report, submitted this weekend to the state's environment ministry, says other lions were found in “weak health and shocked condition” and were given treatment and food supplements.

The deaths underline conservationists' concerns about keeping all of the lions in Gir National Forest in southern Gujarat.

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...