A striking image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, camera in hand, searching for lions in Gujarat’s Gir National Park graced the pages of this newspaper on Tuesday. The accompanying report noted that he managed to spot two lions, though it remains unclear whether he successfully captured them on camera.

However, another report in the same issue, attributed to the Congress Party, painted a vastly different picture, one of alarming neglect and decline in the sanctuary. According to the report, 555 lions have died in Gir over the past five years due to a range of causes, including old age, disease, and accidents.

While it is difficult to ascertain whether the death rate outpaces the birth rate, any significant depletion of the lion population is worrying. After all, a sanctuary exists to protect and sustain wildlife, not to serve as a backdrop for picturesque photo opportunities.

More worrying is the reported relaxation of laws permitting resorts, homestays, and farmhouses near the park. Such encroachments force animals to retreat deeper into the sanctuary, disrupt their natural habitat, and increase the likelihood of human-wildlife conflicts.

There have been reports of such clashes from the Gir National Park area. Across India, these clashes have become distressingly common. In Kerala, for instance, elephants and tigers routinely stray into villages, endangering lives.

A recent tragic case saw a tribal woman mauled to death by a leopard, which was later found dead with her jewellery inside its stomach. Meanwhile, farmers struggle as wild boars ravage their crops, while peacocks and monkeys wreak havoc on plantations.

Against this backdrop of growing human-wildlife tension, another report in the same newspaper offered a glimmer of hope, this time from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Two years ago, this was where the Prime Minister released a group of African cheetahs in a high-profile reintroduction project.

The initiative faced scepticism, with critics questioning whether the animals could adapt to Indian conditions. Several cheetah deaths fuelled concerns, with some environmentalists calling the project ill-conceived.

Yet, there is a silver lining: today, Kuno boasts a cheetah population of 12. While it is too early to declare the project a success, the numbers suggest a fighting chance for the species’ survival in India. However, locals remain disillusioned.

They had hoped the cheetahs would usher in tourism, infrastructure, and employment, but those expectations remain largely unmet. Wildlife conservation cannot thrive on optics alone. India must balance its ecological commitments with the needs of local communities while ensuring that protected areas remain genuinely protected. The challenge lies not in capturing lions on camera but in safeguarding them for generations to come.