Gir National Park

Gir National Park: Before seeing the wonderful view of Gir National Park, let us know a little about Gir National Park. You must have heard many things about Gir National Park from children to adults. Now let's know a little about its facts, we will know the wonderful views of Gir National Park and its details from the article given below.

Halfway between Veraval and Junagadh, this forested, hilly, 1412-sq-km sanctuary is the last refuge of the Asiatic lion (Panthera leopersica). Even without the excitement of spotting lions, other wildlife and countless species of birds – taking a safari through dense, undisturbed forests is a joy. Entry to the sanctuary is by safari permit only, bookable online in advance.

Gir National Park
If you miss out on getting a permit, your other option for lions is Devalia Safari Park, a fenced off section of the sanctuary where sightings are guaranteed but more stage-managed.

The sanctuary's 37 other mammal species, most of which have also increased in number, include the dainty chital (spotted deer), sambar (large deer), nilgai (blue bull/large antelope), chausingh (four-horned antelope), chinkara (slipper). happens ), crocodiles and the rare leopard. With more than 300 bird species, the park is also a great place for birders with most of the residents.

While the wildlife has been fortunate, more than half of the sanctuary's human community has been resettled elsewhere by the distinctively dressed Maldharis (herdsmen), apparently because their cattle and buffalo were competing for food resources with antelopes, deer and gazelles.

While also hunted by lions and leopards. About 1,000 people still live in the park, although their livestock makes up about a quarter of the lions' diet.

12 kilometers west of Sasan Gir village at Devalia, within the sanctuary, is the Gir interpretive area, better known simply as Devalia. The 4.12-sq-km fenced-off compound is home to a cross-section of Gir's wildlife. Chances of seeing lions and leopards are guaranteed here, with 45-minute bus tours departing hourly along the trails. You may also see jackals, mongooses and antelopes – the latter being lion fodder.

Brief History : The sanctuary was established in 1965 and the 259-sq-km core area was declared a national park in 1975. Since the late 1960s, lion numbers have dwindled to less than 200 out of 674. (Census 2020).

Gir National Park History
In the 19th century, the rulers of Indian princely states used to invite the British colonists for hunting expeditions. At the end of the 19th century, only about a dozen Asiatic lions were left in India, all of them in the Gir Forest, which was part of the Nawab of Junagarh's private hunting grounds. British viceroys brought the drastic decline of the lion population in Gir to the attention of the Nawab of Junagadh, who established the sanctuary.

Today, it is the only area in Asia where Asiatic lions occur and is considered one of the most important protected areas in Asia because of its biodiversity. The Gir ecosystem with its diverse flora and fauna is protected as a result of the efforts of the government forest department, wildlife activists and NGOs. It is now considered the jewel of Gujarat's ecological resources.

Asiatic lion in Gir National Park
The Asiatic lion's habitat is dry scrub land and open deciduous forest. The lion population increased from 411 individuals in 2010 to 523 in 2015, and all of them live in or around Gir National Park.

In 1900 it was estimated that the population was as low as 100, and the Asiatic lion was declared a protected species. A census in 1936 recorded 289 animals. The first modern-day count of lions was done by Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth, the principal of Rajkumar College, Rajkot and R.S. Dharmakumarsinhji sometime between 1948 and 1963 and a further survey, in 1968, recorded that since 1936 numbers had fallen to 162.

Even though the Gir Forest is well protected, there are instances of Asiatic lions being poached. They have also been poisoned in retaliation for attacking livestock. Some of the other threats include floods, fires and the possibility of epidemics and natural calamities. Gir nonetheless remains the most promising long term preserve for them.

During a prolonged drought from 1899 to 1901, lions attacked livestock and people beyond the Gir Forest. After 1904, the rulers of Junagadh compensated livestock losses. Today, the lions in Gir National Park rarely attack people.

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