Trifter

The king of the jungle which once roamed from the Mediterranean in the west to the north-eastern parts of India has disappeared from all its natural habitats but one. This is the last remaining strongholds of the Asiatic lion or the Indian lion as it is know in India. This is the Gir forest of Gujrat state in India.

The Gir Nation Park is a 1,400 sq km forest reserve and is home to about 360 lions according to a survey done in April 2006. The lion population was almost wiped out and was reduced to only 13 in 1907 when the Nawab of Junagadh declared this forest protected and this helped recover the last remaining population of the Asiatic lions. The threat is not over yet as there are major concerns of inbreeding and overpopulation. Now, with the efforts of the Indian Wildlife Department another reserve Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the Sheopur district of north western Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India is selected for the reintroduction of the lions.

The Gir National Park is not only home to the Asiatic lions but also houses one of the largest populations of leopards in India around 300 in number. So, this habitat is clearly the home of the big cats in India. Apart from the big cats it is also home to Sambar and spotted deer, blue bull, chousingha (the world’s only four-horned antelope), Indian gazelle, wild boar, jackal, striped hyena, jungle cat, rusty-spotted cat, porcupine, and some 250 variety of birds and about 2000 species of invertebrate.