Asiatic lion
Under the 10th Nawab of Junagarh (r. 1911-1948), the Junagadh State developed a conservation effort in what is now the Gir National Park. This saved the Asiatic lion from almost certain extinction. Since the turn of the 20th century, the range of the Asiatic lion has included the Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. The population has steadily increased since 2010. In May 2015, the 14th Asiatic Lion Census was conducted over an area of about 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi); the lion population was estimated at 523 individuals, comprising 109 adult males, 201 adult females and 213 cubs. In August 2017, surveyors counted 650 wild lions. In June 2020, an estimation exercise counted 674 Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region, an increase of 29% over the 2015 census figure. In 2023, an Asiatic lion was spotted by forest officials in the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in the state's Porbandar district for the first time since 1879.