Prateek Tanmay
2 min readAhmedabadMay 26, 2026 08:53 PM IST
Two lion cubs have died of suspected infection caused by Babesia parasites in the Gir forest region, forest minister Arjun Modhwadia said on Tuesday.
While assuring that there was no need to worry, he said forest officials were working to prevent the possible spread of the infection.
Modhwadia issued a statement in the wake of reports claiming the death of five lions in the Gir region. “While reports claim that five lions died from the Babesia virus, only two lion deaths suspected to be from the Babesia virus have come to our notice. The remaining deaths have occurred either due to conflict (in-fighting) or other reasons.”
“Babesia…spreads through ticks and can cause weakness, coughing and nasal discharge in affected animals, which sometimes result in their death,” he stated.
Modhwadia also stated that teams of forest officers and veterinary doctors were actively identifying lions that might have the infection.
“Nobody needs to worry. Our lion management system has been praised across the world. The population of our lions is increasing. It does not seem that there is a major problem because of this (suspected infection of) Babesia,” the minister added.
A senior forest officer said that following the deaths of the two cubs, 10 lions had been rescued and put under observation at a rescue centre. These were the lions that were showing symptoms of weakness, he added.
“The situation is completely under control, and there is no need to worry,” the officer said.
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As per the last lion census, there are 891 lions in Gujarat.
