What happened

A study published in Conservation found that Asiatic lions living along Gujarat’s coast depend mainly on wild prey rather than domestic animals. The finding matters because the common belief that lions outside Gir survive largely on livestock is not supported by the study’s diet analysis.

Researchers examined 160 scat samples from five coastal districts and reported that wild prey formed the larger share of the diet and biomass consumed. The study also noted that coastal habitats support more than 100 lions, within Gujarat’s total lion population of 891.

Key findings from the study

The study’s central conclusion is that the coastal lion population has access to enough natural prey to remain largely dependent on wildlife resources.

The study reported the following diet pattern:

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