Wild free ranging Asiatic lions have become extinct over most of Asia and are today found only in the nearby Gir Forest.

[2] The Sakkarbaug Zoo was established in 1863 by The Mohabat khanji Babi-II of Junagadh state.

In 2003 the zoo opened a natural history museum in a large hall in the veterinary hospital.

The program is jointly managed by the CZA and the Sakkarbaug Zoo, which is the largest breeding center, with nearly 150 lions having been bred by 2008.

The first chick from this effort were born at the zoo's Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centre in February 2011.