At least 10 of the world's last population of wild Asiatic lions were killed by the monsoon flooding in the Gujarat province in India last month, authorities said.
The rains brought in mudslides and high waters that swept through the domain of the country's remaining wild Asiatic lions, now numbering less than 513, a report from the environment agency of the province said, according to the Associated Press.
The endangered lions were freely roaming in the wild of the Gir National Forest, but they were no match for the rains that poured during the last week of June that created 26 centimeters (10.24 inches) of water in the area and turned a 100-square-kilometer (40-square-mile) area "into an unbroken sheet of water."
More than 80 spotted deer and 1,670 Asian antelope called blue bulls were also killed in the floods.
Park rangers, villagers and other animal activists searched for the remaining lions and found some in weak health. These lions were later given treatment and food supplements. The other 80 wild Asiatic lions are roaming safely in the territory.
Conservationists argued successfully in India's Supreme Court in 2013 that some of the wild Asiatic lions should be relocated to a second sanctuary far away to keep the population from being hit all at once by natural disaster or disease, AP reported. However, Gujarat has resisted moving any of the lions.
