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310 Asiatic lions died in India's Gujarat in last 5 years

Xinhua, March 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

In India's western state of Gujarat, 310 lions have died in the last five years, authorities said Saturday.

The figures about deaths of Asiatic lions were given by the state's Forest Minister Mangubhai Patel in a written reply during an ongoing session of the Assembly.

"The minister stated 310 lions including cubs, as well as 547 leopards died due to natural or unnatural causes in the last five years (as on March 2015)," the official said.

The causes of unnatural deaths stated by minister in his reply include falling into open wells, being hit by trains or vehicles and electrocution.

Patel said various measures were being taken to save these wild cats.

Gujarat's Gir in India is the last abode of Asiatic lions. In 2015, census carried out by state's wildlife officials found 523 lions in Gir and its periphery.

In 2000, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the Asiatic lion to the list of critically endangered species.

The Gujarat wildlife department says it was struggling hard to increase the number of big cats. Endit