Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 1979 · Asiatic lion
UPSC Prelims 1979 · Environment · Species Watch
The extinctive type of lions are mostly found in
- (a) Gujarat
- (b) Maharashtra
- (c) Assam
- (d) Uttar Pradesh
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) Gujarat
Asiatic lions survive only in and around the Gir forest of Gujarat.
The idea
The Asiatic lion once ranged from West Asia across northern India. Hunting and loss of scrub forest wiped it out everywhere except one place. Around 1900 only a few dozen were left, in the Gir forest, where the Nawab of Junagadh protected them. Every Asiatic lion today descends from that group.
Once: West Asia to eastern India → Hunted out across the range → About 1900: a few dozen left in Gir → Protected by the ruler of Junagadh → Today: several hundred, spreading across Saurashtra
Why the others are wrong
(c) Assam has tigers and rhinos, not lions.
(d) Lions once lived in UP, but not any more.
Also know
The Asiatic lion is a little smaller than the African lion, has a shorter mane and a fold of skin along its belly. It shares Gir with the Maldhari herders.
🔒 Asiatic lion: Gir (Gujarat) only; Endangered; Kuno was prepared as a second home.