Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

The Sasan Gir Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1965, In Gujrat state of India. The Sasan Gir wildlife sanctuary a total area of 1412km out of which 258km for the fully protected area for National Park and 1153km for the Sanctuary. The park is located 65km to the south-east of Junagadh.

It is the sole habitat of the Asiatic Lions (Panthera Leo persica) and is considered to be one of the most important confined areas in Asia due to its supported species. The wildlife of Sasan Gir, with its diverse flora and fauna, is confined as a result of the hard work of the wildlife activists ,forest department. The forest area of Gir and its lions were declared as "protected" in the early 1900s by the Nawab of the princely state of Junagadh. This proposal assisted in the conservation of the lions whose population had plummeted to only 15 through slaughter for trophy hunting.

As per April 2010 census recorded the lion-count in Gir at 411, an increase of 52 compared to 2010. The lion breeding programme covering the park and neighboring area has bred about 180 lions in captivity since its commencement.

Wildlife in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

The total 2,375 distinct fauna species of Sasan Gir Wildlife sanctuary includes about 38 species of mammals, around 290 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects. The carnivores group mostly comprises lions, , Jungle cats, Striped Hyenas, Golden Jackals, Indian Leopards , Sloth bears ,and Ratels, Indian Palm Civets, Indian Mongoose. Desert cats and Rusty-spotted cats exist but are rarely seen.

The main herbivores of Gir are Nilgai (or Bluebull), Chital, Sambar, Chinkara and Wild boar, Four-horned Antelope. Blackbucks from the neighboring area are sometimes seen in the sanctuary.

Among the slighter mammals, Porcupine and Hare are ordinary but the Pangolin is rare. The Indian Star Tortoise and the Monitor Lizard in the water areas of the sanctuary. The reptiles are represented by the mugger Marsh crocodile (highest population among all protected areas in India), Snakes are found in the bushes and forest. Pythons are sighted at times along the stream banks. Gir has been used by the Gujarat State Forest Department which adopted the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project in 1977 and released close to 1000 Marsh crocodile reared in Gir rearing centre into the Kamaleshwar lake and other reservoirs and small water bodies in and around Gir.

The plenty avifauna population has more than 300 birds species, the maximum birds are resident. The scavenger group of birds has 6 recorded species of Vultures. a few of the typical species of Gir include Crested Serpent Eagle, endangered Bonelli's Eagle,, Great Horned Owl Crested Hawk eagle, Great Horned Owl, Bush Quail (or Quailbush), Brown Fish Owl, Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-headed Oriole, Crested Treeswift and Indian Pitta. The Indian Grey Hornbill was not found in the last census of 2001

Asiatic Lion Habitat, Distribution and Population:-

The Asiatic Lions home is dry scrubland and open deciduous forest. These lions were once found across northern Africa, south west Asia and northern Greece. Now there are only around 350 left in the wild and all of them are in the Gir Forest National Park.

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

The Lion breeding program and lion-counting:-

The Lion Breeding Programme creates and maintains breeding centres. It also carries out studies of the behavior of the Asiatic lions and also practices artificial insemination. One such centre has been established in the Sakkarbaug Zoo at the district headquarters of Junagadh, which has successfully bred about 180 lions. 126 pure Asiatic lions have been given to zoos in India and abroad.

The census of lions takes place every five years. Previously indirect methods like using pugmarks of the lion were adopted for the count. However, during the census of April 2005 (which originally was scheduled for 2006, but was advanced following the reports and controversy over vanishing tigers in India), "Block-Direct-Total Count" method was employed with the help of around 1,000 forest officials, experts and volunteers. It means that only those lions were counted that were "spotted" visually. Use of "live bait" (a prey that is alive and used as a bait) for the exercise, though thought to be a traditional practice, was not used this time. The reason believed to be behind this is the Gujarat High Court ruling of 2000 against such a use of animals.

Best Time to Visit: Best time to visit this place October - June

How to get there:

Air: The nearest airport is Keshod( 90-km/3 Hrs drive via Veraval). Visitors can easily catch daily flights from Mumbai to Keshod.

Rail: The nearest rail connection is the meter gauge rail line of 395-kms from Ahemdabad.

Road: Sasan Gir is situated at a distance of 400-kms from Ahmadabad via Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda. State Transport buses are easily available from Junagadh and Veraval to Gir, between November and June.