World Lion Day 2021: Date, History, Significance, And India's Lion Population

Lion Day 2021: Historically, lions have roamed from Gir forest in Gujarat to the Indo-Gangetic plains in Bihar. But their population decreased over the years.

While the population of wild lions saw a catastrophic decline across the world, except for Africa, the mighty beasts have found a natural home in India. Their population has increased steadily in India, especially in Gir forest – the only wild population of lions outside Africa. As we observe World Lion Day on August 10, there couldn't be a better way to raise awareness about the conservation and sustainable solutions to save the global wild lion population, which has now reduced to only about 20,000. Lions are seen as the ultimate icons of pride, heritage, and power. But their existence has been troubled lately. The lion is majestic and courageous. India is proud to be home to the Asiatic Lion. On World Lion Day, I convey my greetings to all those passionate about lion conservation. It would make you happy that the last few years have seen a steady increase in India's lion population. pic.twitter.com/GaCEXnp7hG Lions, listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, have lost a vast majority of their habitat -- and resultantly their population -- primarily because of conflict with humans, poaching, and trophy hunting. Seeing this rapid decrease in their population, a group of non-profits and tourism companies created World Lion Day to celebrate the animal and redirect the world's attention towards them. Organisations such as Panthera and National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative support World Lion Day. History and significance