‘When Narnia looks real’: Lion Seen Standing On Arabian Sea Coast In Gujarat, Netizens Amazed

New Delhi: A stunning photo of an Asiatic lion standing on the shores of the Arabian Sea is raking in likes on X. In the undated picture that has gone viral, the lion can be seen casually standing on the banks of the Arabian Sea, as if it were enjoying the waves of the sea.

Sharing the undated picture, Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan wrote, “When #Narnia looks real. A lion king captured enjoying tides of the Arabian Sea on Gujarat coast. Courtesy: CCF, Junagadh.”

When #Narnia looks real. A lion king captured enjoying tides of Arabian Sea on Gujarat coast. Courtesy: CCF, Junagadh. pic.twitter.com/tE9mTIPHuL

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) October 1, 2023

In a follow-up tweet, he also posted a link to a study by researchers in Gujarat’s forest department on Asiastic lions moving to coastal areas. The study was titled “Living on the sea-coast: ranging and habitat distribution of Asiatic lions”.

ભાદરવા પૂનમ પેટ્રોલિંગ દરમ્યાન દરિયા કાંઠા વિસ્તારમાં સિંહ જોવા મળ્યુ pic.twitter.com/kFM1hP11yz

— CCFJunagadh (@JunagadhCcf) September 30, 2023

As per researchers, Asiatic lions, which are concentrated in Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, are seen around coastal regions of Gujarat due to a four-fold increase in their population since 1968.

Meena Venkataraman, a wildlife biologist who was part of the above-mentioned study told The Guardian that, unlike Namibia’s coastal lions, the lions in Gujarat do not hunt marine animals but, it is plausible that “with time, they may develop a taste for scavenging dead fish.”