The final population estimate of Asiatic lions in Gujarat under 16th Census will be carried out with the help of 3,000 volunteers after the first phase concluded on Monday, officials said.
Hi-tech camera traps, high-resolution cameras, and radio collars are used for the lion identification. Simultaneously, the "direct beat verification" method is used, guaranteeing 100 per cent accuracy.
The four-day exercise is being conducted from May 10 to 13 in two phases, covering 35,000 square kms spread across 58 talukas in 11 districts.
While the preliminary census was conducted on May 10 and 11, 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, a release stated.
The districts covered under the census include Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Amreli, Porbandar and Botad.
The release stated that high-tech tools like camera traps, high-resolution cameras, and radio collars are being used for identifying lions.
Simultaneously, "direct beat verification" method is used, guaranteeing 100 per cent accuracy with almost zero margin of error following statistical analysis and the ease of implementation.
A lion census is conducted every five years by the forest department in Gujarat- the only abode of Asiatic lions in the world.
The last census conducted in June 2020 pegged the number of Asiatic lions at 674.
Volunteers record details such as time of observation, direction of movement, sex, age, any other identifying marks on lions and GPS location, among others, the release informed.
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