About:

• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions. They have shorter manes (hair around their face) than African counterparts.
• Asiatic lions were once distributed upto the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India. 
• At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, is the only abode of the Asiatic lion. 

Protection for Asiatic Lions

Protection Status:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

Conservation Efforts

• The “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” has been launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• It is the Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the cost sharing of 60:40 by the Centre and the State Govt.
• As a result of these conservation efforts, the population of Asiatic lions, which used to be around 50 by the late 1890s, increased to 674 in 2020.

Why in the news?

• Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park have tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus.