PM Modi visits Gir on World Wildlife Day, embarks on lion safari

He also visited the revered Somnath temple on Sunday, offering prayers at the sacred Shiva shrine, which is the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a lion safari at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday morning, marking World Wildlife Day during his visit to Gujarat. He spent the night at Sinh Sadan, a forest guest house in Sasan, after offering prayers at the Somnath temple on Sunday evening.

Accompanied by ministers and senior forest officials, PM Modi toured the sanctuary before chairing the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at Sasan Gir. The NBWL, comprising 47 members, includes representatives from various states, NGOs, and the Chief of Army Staff.

The PM also took to microblogging site X, sharing an inspiring message on the occasion, "Today, on #WorldWildlifeDay, let’s reiterate our commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet. Every species plays a vital role—let’s safeguard their future for generations to come! We also take pride in India’s contributions towards preserving and protecting wildlife."

Today, on #WorldWildlifeDay, lets reiterate our commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet. Every species plays a vital rolelets safeguard their future for generations to come!We also take pride in Indias contributions towards preserving pic.twitter.com/qtZdJlXskA

Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 3, 2025

As part of his visit, the Prime Minister also interacted with women forest staffers and reviewed conservation efforts under Project Lion, for which the Centre has sanctioned over Rs 2,900 crore. Gujarat remains the only home to Asiatic lions, now spread across 30,000 sq km in nine districts.

In a further push for wildlife conservation, a National Referral Center for Wildlife is being set up in Junagadh, alongside a high-tech monitoring center and a state-of-the-art wildlife hospital in Sasan.

He also visited the revered Somnath temple on Sunday, offering prayers at the sacred Shiva shrine, which is the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas. In addition, the PM visited Vantara, an animal rescue, conservation, and rehabilitation center in the Jamnagar district, which provides medical care and sanctuary for captive elephants and other rescued wildlife.