Four Lion Cubs Die of Suspected Babesia Infection, 17 Lions Isolated in Gujarat’s Forest

Four lion cubs have died in different parts of Gujarat’s Gir forest region due to suspected Babesia infection , prompting the state government to intensify monitoring and disease-control measures to protect the endangered Asiatic lion population.

According to officials, 17 adult lions showing possible symptoms have been isolated and are under veterinary care. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired a high-level review meeting in Gandhinagar on Wednesday after forest officials briefed him on the situation.

Principal Secretary for Forest and Environment Vinod Rao said lions within a 10-km radius of Gir Gadhada and Babaria are under close surveillance, while intensive monitoring is also underway in parts of Amreli and Bhavnagar districts. More than 350 lions in the Gir landscape are undergoing de-ticking and preventive health treatment to contain the spread of seasonal infections.

Forest Minister Arjun Modhwadia said two cubs are suspected to have died from Babesia, a tick-borne disease that causes weakness, coughing and nasal discharge in animals. Three other lions reportedly died due to natural causes and infighting. So far, five lions have died in recent incidents linked to infection and other causes.

Wildlife experts say the deaths highlight the growing threat of infectious diseases to the world’s only wild population of Asiatic lions. Conservationists have long warned that the concentration of lions in a single habitat makes them highly vulnerable to epidemics, habitat pressure and climate-linked stress.

The concern is heightened by memories of the 2018 outbreak in which 11 lions died due to canine distemper virus and protozoal infection. Gujarat’s 2025 census recorded 891 Asiatic lions, marking a conservation success but also increasing the challenge of protecting the species from emerging wildlife diseases.