The population of major animal species like lions, tigers, elephant and rhinos has increased in the country, the Rajya Sabha was told on Thursday.

"The estimated population of lions has increased from 359 in 2005 to 411 in 2010. The population of tiger has increased from 1411 in 2006 to 1706 in 2010," environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan told the Rajya Sabha today.