Research overview: Asiatic lions coexisting with people around Gir

The worlds only wild Asiatic lions live in and around Gir in Gujarat, India, where their expanding population increasingly occupies agricultural land, villages and the periphery of towns. This overview synthesises research on how lions persist in this human-dominated mosaic, preying on livestock and feral animals, using crop fields and revenue land outside the protected forest, and coexisting with dense human populations at remarkably low conflict levels. It examines the cultural tolerance, compensation systems and habituation underpinning coexistence, and the risks of disease and conflict as lions spread. The synthesis frames Gir lions as a landmark case of large-felid coexistence in a settled landscape.