Ahmedabad, Apr 21 (PTI) The Asiatic lion census in Gujarat will be conducted from May 10 to 13 in two phases, covering an area of 35,000 square kilometres spread across 11 districts.

An official release said the 16th Asiatic lion census will be conducted through the latest tools and a more accurate method called ‘direct beat verification’, which provides “100 percent accuracy with almost zero margin of error due to statistical analysis and ease of implementation”.

A lion census is conducted every five years by the Forest Department in Gujarat, which is the world’s last abode of Asiatic lions, it said.

As per the last census conducted in June 2020, Gujarat is home to 674 Asiatic lions.

“A preliminary census will be conducted on May 10 and 11 while the final population estimate will be carried out on May 12 and 13 with the help of 3,000 volunteers, including regional, zonal and sub-zonal officers, enumerators, assistant enumerators and inspectors. The entire exercise will cover 35,000 sq km area in 58 talukas of 11 districts where lions are currently found,” it said.

Volunteers will be provided with prescribed forms and maps of their assigned areas for recording the presence of lions. They will record details such as time of observation, direction of movement, sex, age, any other identifying marks on the body and GPS location among others, the release informed.

“Various tools like camera traps and high resolution cameras will be used for the identification of lions. Some lions have been fitted with radio collars, which will help locate the lion and its group. The ‘e-GujForest’ application will also be used to facilitate real-time data entry of lion sightings using GPS location and photos for greater efficiency,” it added. PTI PJT PD BNM