No fresh Babesia infection cases among Gir lions: Minister

No new suspected cases of Babesia infection among Asiatic lions have been reported in the past three days, while 17 big cats remain under observation, Gujarat Forest and Environment Minister Arjunbhai Modhwadia said on Sunday.

During the day, the minister visited Jamwala Rescue Centre, Babariya Forest Range and Jasadhar Animal Care Centre in the Gir lion landscape to review the situation following the death of eight cubs due to the suspected infection.

“As of now, a total of 17 lions remain under observation. No untoward incidents have occurred over the past three days. Furthermore, lions in the surrounding areas and adjacent areas are also being kept under observation. A team of doctors is working continuously,” he said.

The deaths of the big cats due to suspected Babesia infection have been reported in the revenue areas outside the Gir sanctuary, particularly in Gir Gadhada in Gir Somnath and Babra Kot of Amreli district.

Babesia, a parasitic disease, spreads through ticks and can cause weakness, coughing and nasal discharge in affected animals.

Deworming and tick treatment have already been completed for about 500 lions, he said. According to forest officials, the exercise has been ongoing for the past three months.

Explaining the process, a senior official said that groups of lions are brought into a ring cage and administered medicines as part of deworming and deticking treatment.

“Whenever a lion is confined to a cage, whether for medical or any other reason, it is dewormed. The animal is given medicines that are effective against both endo- and ectoparasites, that is, parasites living inside the body of the host and on its surface,” said Prashant Tomar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Gir (West).

Modhwadia later reiterated on X that no lion deaths have been reported due to the suspected infection over the past three days. He also praised the “timely and effective measures” taken by the forest department for bringing the situation under control.

As a matter of caution, forest officials, veterinary specialists and field staff were working round the clock to monitor the health and well-being of lions, he said.

The minister had earlier said that to prevent potential spread, authorities had isolated lions living within a 10-km radius of the areas where the infection had been reported.

The Asiatic lion, once found across large parts of Asia, now survives only in Gujarat, where the entire wild population is concentrated in and around the Gir forest landscape, making the State its last natural habitat.