Reintroduced in 2022, three pairs of Indian Grey Hornbills breed successfully in Gir

In 1980, the forest department had released some IGHs in Gir in an attempt to reintroduce the species, however, the project failed. In 2022, the Gujarat forest department made a second attempt releasing 40 IGHs in Gir.

The report states that some pairs of IGHs were observed nesting and taking care of juveniles post hatching.

“One pair nested and bred successfully in 2023. This year, the breeding attempt of two pairs remained successful. These are encouraging signs of the reintroduction project,” a forest officer told The Indian Express.

Earlier, the 40 IGHs captured from north Gujarat were released in the western part of Gir forest while many of them were tagged with satellite transmitters. “A number of tourists had also sighted them and reported their sightings to the forest department,” said the officer. The officer said of the 40 IGHs released in the forest, at least two had died.

Meanwhile, the CM was in Sasan, headquarters of Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (GNPWLS) in Junagadh district to lead the celebrations of World Lion Day. The forest department celebrated World Lion Day in 11 districts to raise awareness about the importance of these mega carnivores in ecology. The CM also flagged off a rally from Sasan to create awareness about the issue.

Gujarat’s Forest and Environment Minister Mulu Bera, Junagadh MP Rajesh Chudasama, local BJP MLAs and senior forest officers of the state were also present.

The CM also released Conservation of Asiatic Lions, Integrating Radio Telemetry for Enhanced Ecological Monitoring, a report about monitoring and management of lions in Gir between 2019 and 2024.

The CM also released results of herbivore census in Gir forest conducted in summer this year. As per the results, the population of spotted deer increased from 85,256 in 2002 to 88,328. During the same period, the population of Sambars went up from 5,636 to 5,834. Populations of Blue Bulls (Nilgai) jumped from 969 to 1,458 and that of Indian Gazelles (chinkaras) from 125 to 324. Wild boar population also went up from 3,160 to 5,021 and that of Hanuman Langurs from 58,755 to 61,474. The Indian peafowl population also increased from 54,378 to 56,582. These herbivores form an important part of the diet of Asiatic lions.

Gir forest and other protected areas spread across Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region are the only natural habitat of Asiatic lions in the world. Of late, Saurashtra region’s other districts such as Rajkot, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Surendranagar and Botad too have recorded lion movements.