Gir lion cubs’ deaths: No Babesia parasite trace found, says forest minister

2 min readAhmedabadJun 5, 2026 08:04 PM IST

Forest Minister Arjun Modhwadia confirmed the negative reports, shifting the probe toward heat stress or territorial infanticide. (File)

Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia has said laboratory results of samples taken from eight lion cubs that died in the Gir region last month ruled out infection caused by the Babesia parasite or Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) as the reason for their deaths.

Modhwadia had earlier said that the eight deaths were suspected to be caused by Babesiosis.

In a video released by his office on Friday, the minister said: “The death of eight lion cubs in a short span had induced a sense of worry. With the efforts of the forest department, 17 lions that were sick were quarantined and treated. Also, after deticking and deworming around 600 lions, the entire area was made germ-free.”

The minister added that 17 lions were very weak when quarantined. However, 12 of them had been released after treatment since, and the remaining five were under observation, but they were healthy and would be released shortly, he added.

“There is no recent [lion] death that can be said to be caused by a disease,” he also said, referring to the death of a pregnant lioness, and added that its death was possibly caused by other complications.

“So, no virus was found. [In the case of lion cubs, too], no virus was found,” Modhwadia said.

Later, responding to a question by The Indian Express, Modhwadia said the infection caused by Babesia or CDV had been ruled out in the deaths of the eight lion cubs.

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“Neither CDV nor Babesia was found [in the samples taken from the eight cubs]. Out of the 17 lions that were quarantined, 12 have been released, and the rest are healthy.”

The samples were tested at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre.

CDV is a highly contagious virus that compromises the immunity of an infected animal. Babesia is a parasite that spreads through ticks.