Exploring Gujarat’s Wildlife

Forest Of Gir

This is the first blog of Explore India in which we will learn about Wild Life Of Gujarat.

  Whenever we talk about the wildlife of Gujarat, the first thing that comes to mind is the “Asiatic lion”.

   The Asiatic lion (panthera leo persica),also known as the Indian lion or Persian lion,is a distinct subspecies found exclusively in and around Gir National Park in Gujarat,India.

   Asiatic lions, which previously roamed most of Asia, are found only in Gujarat.But due to increasing hunting, their numbers have decreased so much that their number has remained at around 150.And that too remained limited to only the Gir region of Gujarat.

   After that, the local government and Maldharis(cattle-rearing people) living there decided to take special measures to prevent the decline in the number of lions.And through their combined efforts, Gir National Park was established in 1965, which was officially declared in 1975.At that time, the number of lions was about 177.

   The people of Gujarat consider the lion as a royal animal and respect it greatly.

* Longitudinal Skin Fold: The Most Striking Characteristic of the Asiatic Lion is a Prominent, Longitudinal fold of skin running along it’s belly, Which is typically absent in African lions.

* Smaller mane & size: They are slightly smaller than African lions, with adult males weighing around in K.G.(160-190) and females (110-120).The males have shorter,sparser manes,which makes their ears appear more visible.

* Tassel and Tuft: They possess a largest tail tuft and longer turft of hair at the elbow joints compared to their african counter parts.

 * Fur colour: Their coat ranges from ruddy-tawny to sandy grey,often with a shaggy appearance.  . Behavioural and Ecological specialities

 * Habitat Adaptability: They thrire in thedry,deciduous and savannah-like teak forest of Gir,which is quite different from the vast savannah of africa.

* Unique pride structure: Male Asiatic lions tend to live with the females of their pride more often than african lions do,particularly outside of mating seasons.

* Coexistence with humans: Asiatic lions have an incredible ability to live near human populations.They coexist with the maldhari pastoralists and often prey on livestock,though their main prey is the Chital deer.

. Conservation specialities:-

* Sole surviving population: The GIR forest in INDIA is the last remaining natural habitat for this subspecies in the world.

* Comeback story: Their population has recovered from the brink of extinction.In the early 20th century,their numbers were extremely low,but they have grown to over 600,according to recent estimates

* Currently, they are not limited to just Gir National Park but are roaming in most parts of Gujarat.  So we are ending our blog here. Stay connected with us to know about other such wild leaves of Gujarat.