Gujarat’s jungle royalty is now increasingly turning to the state’s beaches for a new home. According to the 2025 census, 134 lions have made coastal areas their permanent habitat, a dramatic rise from just 10 in 2015. The first coastal lion sighting in the state dates back to 1995, and the 2020 census had recorded 100 lions along the shoreline, indicating a 34% increase in just five years. The total lion population in Gujarat now stands at 891.
“Huge carnivores are territorial and require large spaces and a substantial prey base to survive,” said H S Singh, lion expert and member of the National Board for Wildlife. “The lions on the Gujarat coast are not only getting an adequate prey base but also have a temperature that suits them. The sea breeze keeps the heat in check. The lion population along Gujarat’s 300 km coastline will increase as the conditions there are more conducive to the big cats than in Gir.”
As per a TOI report, Singh added that the coastal shrub Prosopis juliflora (gando bawal) provides an ideal habitat, while the abundance of blue bulls and wild boars ensures a steady food supply.
The lions are spread across Gujarat’s coast with 25 on the southwestern coast, 94 on the southeastern coast, and 15 near Bhavnagar. A recent study titled ‘Living on the Sea-Coast: Ranging and Habitat Distribution of Asiatic Lions’ analysed the movement of these coastal lions. According to the paper, the average home range of coastal lions is 171.8 sq km, compared to just 33.8 sq km in the Gir sanctuary.
The study, authored by Mohan Ram, Aradhana Sahu, Shyamal Tikadar, Harshal Jayawant, Lahar Jhala, Yashpal Zala, and Meena Venkataraman, found that individual lions’ ranges varied significantly. “Usually, the home range of a male lion is more than that of a female lion, but in the coastal region, the average home range of females is more than that of the males,” said Mohan Ram, one of the authors. Adult females have an average range of 214.8 sq km, while adult males average 193.9 sq km.
The study notes that lions on the coast primarily occupy natural land cover, such as forests, sandy areas, and scrubland, avoiding villages, district roads, and highways. “The survival of lions on the seacoast is possible because both the stepping-stone patches and corridors for dispersing lions, as well as home ranges, have natural vegetation patches,” the paper says.
Beach Lions’ Diet
A separate study, ‘Dietary Pattern of Asiatic Lions in the Coastal Ecosystem of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India’, examined scat from 160 lions to determine their diet. The research, led by Mohan Ram, Aradhana Sahu, Nityanand Srivastava, Kritagnya Vadar, Rohit Chaudhary, and Lahar Jhala, found that lions feed on six identifiable prey species: blue bulls (74 instances), wild pigs (32), cattle (23), buffalos (16), goats (14), spotted deer (four), and birds (one).
Experts say that saltpans and sandy shores are vital components of lion home ranges and should be protected to ensure the long-term survival of Gujarat’s coastal lions.
With conditions along the coastline proving increasingly favourable, Gujarat’s lions are redefining what it means to be a “king of the jungle”, now reigning not just over forests, but over beaches too.
Inputs from TOI
“Huge carnivores are territorial and require large spaces and a substantial prey base to survive,” said H S Singh, lion expert and member of the National Board for Wildlife. “The lions on the Gujarat coast are not only getting an adequate prey base but also have a temperature that suits them. The sea breeze keeps the heat in check. The lion population along Gujarat’s 300 km coastline will increase as the conditions there are more conducive to the big cats than in Gir.”
As per a TOI report, Singh added that the coastal shrub Prosopis juliflora (gando bawal) provides an ideal habitat, while the abundance of blue bulls and wild boars ensures a steady food supply.
The lions are spread across Gujarat’s coast with 25 on the southwestern coast, 94 on the southeastern coast, and 15 near Bhavnagar. A recent study titled ‘Living on the Sea-Coast: Ranging and Habitat Distribution of Asiatic Lions’ analysed the movement of these coastal lions. According to the paper, the average home range of coastal lions is 171.8 sq km, compared to just 33.8 sq km in the Gir sanctuary.
The study, authored by Mohan Ram, Aradhana Sahu, Shyamal Tikadar, Harshal Jayawant, Lahar Jhala, Yashpal Zala, and Meena Venkataraman, found that individual lions’ ranges varied significantly. “Usually, the home range of a male lion is more than that of a female lion, but in the coastal region, the average home range of females is more than that of the males,” said Mohan Ram, one of the authors. Adult females have an average range of 214.8 sq km, while adult males average 193.9 sq km.
The study notes that lions on the coast primarily occupy natural land cover, such as forests, sandy areas, and scrubland, avoiding villages, district roads, and highways. “The survival of lions on the seacoast is possible because both the stepping-stone patches and corridors for dispersing lions, as well as home ranges, have natural vegetation patches,” the paper says.
Beach Lions’ Diet
A separate study, ‘Dietary Pattern of Asiatic Lions in the Coastal Ecosystem of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India’, examined scat from 160 lions to determine their diet. The research, led by Mohan Ram, Aradhana Sahu, Nityanand Srivastava, Kritagnya Vadar, Rohit Chaudhary, and Lahar Jhala, found that lions feed on six identifiable prey species: blue bulls (74 instances), wild pigs (32), cattle (23), buffalos (16), goats (14), spotted deer (four), and birds (one).
Experts say that saltpans and sandy shores are vital components of lion home ranges and should be protected to ensure the long-term survival of Gujarat’s coastal lions.
With conditions along the coastline proving increasingly favourable, Gujarat’s lions are redefining what it means to be a “king of the jungle”, now reigning not just over forests, but over beaches too.
Inputs from TOI
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