AHMEDABAD: There are more than 1,700 tigers in the country today. In contrast, there are just 411 Asiatic Lions, all of them in Gujarat. And yet the proposed Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill of the Union government maintains a deathly silence on lion preservation in the country.

The draft of the bill, uploaded on the Union forest and environment ministry's website for comments, does not mention the pride of Gujarat even once while there are elaborate provisions for tiger protection. This has left many wondering if this is plain oversight, or there are other reasons for the ministry hearing the tiger's roar and turning a deaf ear to the lion's.