‘They come to Gir determined to see a lion and they also get AC, spas and swimming pools. This is not ecotourism’

Meena Venkataraman is a wildlife biologist and the founder of Carnivore Conservation and Research, with a focus on Asiatic Lions. She talks to Renuka Bisht about how the lion census numbers don’t tell the whole story and why understanding local communities’ approach to coexistence is crucial