Question

How many Asiatic lions are there in India?
A. 520
B. 523
C. 537
D. 544

Answer 1

Hint: Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) remnant population exist in India’s Gir National Park on the Kathiawar Peninsula, approximately 500 individuals inhabiting the protected area. Gir forest reserve was accorded the status of sanctuary in 1965 to protect the last surviving group of Asiatic lions.

Complete answer:
The Gir national park in western India is the last sanctuary of Asiatic lions. These animals once roamed the territory that stretches from Greece to China, but we're hunted and nearly wiped out by humans. Asiatic lions, also titled as “king of beasts,”. The new scientific name of the Asiatic lion is Felis Leo persicus. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Asiatic lions in the vulnerable category.
The 14th Asiatic Lion Census conducted in 2015 estimated 523 individuals. An isolated population of a small race of about 650 Asiatic lions, according to the survey of 2017 lives under strict protection in India's Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Asiatic lions are one of the five pantherine cats native to India. The other four species are the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris Tigris), the Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), and the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).
So, the correct answer is Option B.

Note: The Gir national park in western India is the last sanctuary of Asiatic lions. Asiatic lions also titled as “king of beasts,”. The former scientific name was Panthera leo persica and the new name of the Asiatic lion is Felis Leo persicus. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Asiatic lions in the vulnerable category.