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and down to the Narmada river. Unfortunately,the animals were ruthlessly persecuted rightfrom Mughal times and were thus steadilywiped out. Today, just over 200 Asiatic lionsremain and the Gir forest of Kathiawar, Gujarat,is their last bastion.

Lord Curzon took the first step to protectthese endangered lions by his refusal to shootone, despite an invitation from the Nawab ofJunagadh in whose territory most of the lionswere found. Perhaps this public stance, in favourof the lions, brought home to the erstwhile rulersthe predicament into which years ofindiscriminate hunting had placed the lion. Eversince, the lions have received protection thoughsporadic poaching incidents continued. TheNawabs, of course, still invited VIPs to shoot‘their’ animals, but a restriction of three full-grown males per year was imposed. In any event,lion populations stabilised considerably underthe mantle of Junagadh’s protection.

During the devastating famine of 1899and 1900 the prey species on which the lionssurvived were considerably depleted.

pinpointed their resting place after havingheard them roar before daybreak. This was aclear demonstration of the Gir trackers’legendary capabilities. This was the way lionsused to be located years ago, before the baitingof show-lions had been introduced.

A tenuous existenceIndia’s first ‘national animal’ was the lion,

depicted in the Republic of India’s crest, theinspiration drawn from Emperor Ashoka’s pillarat Sarnath. The choice was made not becauseof the Iion’s endangered status, but on culturalgrounds. Over the years many nations, fromEurope, Africa and Asia, have chosen the lionto represent them; the intended symbolismprojecting the nations’ and the lions’ commonqualities — courage, magnanimity, justice andpower. Howsoever unscientific suchanthropomorphic attributes may be, the factremains that man has always held the lion ingreat admiration and awe.

When the British ruled the Indiansubcontinent, lions were abundant throughoutnorthern and central India, from Sind to Bengal

Lying awake, just before dawn, I heardthe lions Roar. In the silence of thejungle they sounded much closer than

they probably were. Restless and eager to startthe day, I washed and dressed in the dark andbefore I could finish my cup of tea, I heardHaidu’s gentle greeting. Haidu, the head pugee,*who would be my guide for the day, was atracker with an almost psychic understandingof lions. We left at dawn to escape the noisycrowds at Gir’s famous ‘lion shows’. With our

four or five juvenile birds. It was getting warmand perspiration streaked my dusty clothes. Ihad a drink of water and casually asked Haiduif he could locate ‘Ubhado’ and ‘Bhelio’, twolions with whom I had been acquainted duringearlier visits. “Shall we take a chance?” he asked.I readily agreed. With Haidu in the lead, wenow took a new route, which, to my mildconsternation, betrayed no traces of lion pug-marks. Haidu, of course, was unconcerned.He walked purposefully on, occasionallychecking to ensure that I followed closebehind. An hour later, with the sun now fairlyhigh in the sky, we reached a place wherefallen teak leaves carpeted the floor. Hestopped here, removed his shoes andproceeded alone. Moments later, he gesturedto me to join him. Following his example, Iremoved my shoes and traced his footsteps towhere he was seated. I then knelt down besidehim and there, behold, less than 30 metres infront of us were the two lions I had enquiredafter. They lay peacefully in the shade of atree, oblivious of our presence. Haidu had

water canteens filled and a small sling bag withdry chapattis and vegetables around Haidu’sneck, we set off into the scrub jungle. I had mybinoculars and camera equipment with me. Ihave always been a keen photographer, even inthe old days when jungle outings, more oftenthan not, meant shikar. The sun was up beforewe had covered two miles and all around us Icould see the rugged, picturesque terrain thatwas home to the last remaining representativesof Panthera leo persica.

Sitting near a streambed, a clatter of hoovessuddenly caused me to look in the directionof a large nilgai bull, accompanied by twocows. They probably hadn’t seen us till theywere quite near. I usually maintain a strictsilence in the jungle, talking only in whisperswhen signs or signals are inadequate. A golden-backed woodpecker had set up a staccato-likescream nearby and a flurry of activity from athick karambdi bush revealed the dull-greyform of a pea-hen followed by a brood of

The Gir LionsBY DHARMAKUMARSINHJI

Panthera leo persica

A graceful feline, bathed in morning light, strides confidently across a grassy clearing in Gir. Lionesses reach sexual maturity between 21/2 to 3 years and normally beartwo or three young after a gestation period of around 116 days.

The King of the Jungle. We must ask ourselves how long he can survive if the swell of human pressure continues to chip away at his kingdom.

The Gir LionsD

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Consequently, some reports indicate that thelions resorted to man-eating. These were bleakyears for the wildlife of Kathiawar; nevertheless,the ‘discreet’ hunting of lions by special inviteescontinued till after Independence. At thisjuncture, President Rajendra Prasad and PrimeMinister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Gir andvehemently insisted that the safety of India’snational animal be ensured. Despite this, onmore than a few occasions, lions continued tobe shot with the permission of the Rajpramukhof Saurashtra. This ‘privilege’ was withdrawnonly as recently as 1960 when the State ofGujarat was formally set up.

The first serious attempt to census the Girlions was undertaken by the Saurashtra StateForest Department in 1950. I was a part ofthat census team and our organiser was noneother than the well-known naturalist, M.A.WynterBlyth, (then the Principal of RajkumarCollege, Rajkot). On the basis of a pug-marktally, we concluded that there were between219 and 227 lions in Gir. The 1936 estimates,made by the Junagadh Forest Department,had placed their number at 287 and thedownward trend was alarming. (Ironically,while world attention was centered on savingthe lions, the grey hornbill, locally known as‘Chilotro’, was quietly extirpated from the Gir

forest. Killed on account of its presumedmedicinal value, the bird was reintroducedinto Gir in 1979.)

Not so long ago, the range of the Gir lionsincluded extended forested tracts, totalling just over3,800 sq.km. Despite the fact that the area wasunsuitable for agriculture, many different peoplechose to settle here and slowly the forests suffered.Nomads of the Rabari and Charan tribes, termedas ‘maldharis’ or herdsmen, have been living inclose proximity to the lions for many years. Habitatdestruction coupled with the construction ofirrigation tanks and extension of farmlands,eventually reduced the vital lion biome to less than1,300 sq.km. Even this reduced area was dissectedby roads built in all directions to facilitate theextraction of timber. Somehow a way had to befound for man and animal to survive together andthis has been the main concern of those interestedin Gir, for over 30 years.

Man and the LionLions generally resent human presence. Yet

strangely, in Gir, the large cats seem less scared ofthe maldharis than of their buffaloes who readilycharge when agitated. On two occasions Iactually witnessed a maldhari ‘whoop’ his wholeherd of buffaloes towards two lions who fledunceremoniously, followed by the triumphantlittle man waving his staff high and yodelling as

loud as he could. The maldhari is a very astutejudge of lion character and a pugee’s perfectimitation of a goat’s bleating will often make alion pause and turn in surprise. In fact, the pugeescan actually ‘summon’ the show lions by callingrepeatedly in this manner.

The maldharis are kind and hospitable folk,some of them bards and poets. Being largelyvegetarians they cause no direct harm to wildlife.They have strong family bonds and havededicated themselves to husbandry of thefamous Gir cattle and buffaloes, from whosemilk they produce ghee, a refined butter.However, when the artificial feeding of lionsbecame a practice for the purpose of lion-shows(soon after the formation of Gujarat State), lionsgot bold, killing livestock fearlessly. Themaldharis retaliated by poisoning the lions,resulting in a steep decline in the cat population.

At this time a very harmful factor revealeditself in the form of a massive influx of cattleinto Gir from drought-stricken areas. Thiscaused unprecedented destruction to the entireecosystem. It also further encouraged the lionsto become cattle-lifters and there came a stagewhen much of their diet was accounted for bydomestic animals. This grave situation drewthe attention of international biologists and in1970 a highly qualified team (Berwick: USA,

Joslyn: Canada, Hodd: Britain) arrived to studythe problem under World Wildlife Fund,Project 298. The research was aided by theSmithsonian Institution, and was sponsoredby the Bombay Natural History Society. I wasalso closely involved with the project at thetime. It was observed that, during droughts,the maldharis lopped trees to sustain their

herds; but the gravity of the situation wasfurther aggravated by incessant clear felling,resulting in the maldharis becoming scapegoatsfor the denudation of the forest.

The Gujarat Government, realising thedanger to the ecosystem and the severeeconomic pressures being borne by themaldharis, executed a project to demarcate

and protect the Gir Sanctuary by building aone metre high rubble wall with live hedgesto prevent illicit grazing. At the same time ascheme was launched to rehabilitate themaldharis to the peripheral areas. This projecttook excellent shape and the Gir Sanctuarywas awarded the Chairman’s Trophy for thebest managed National Park cum WildlifeSanctuary in India by the Indian Board forWildlife in 1976. The dramatic progressrecorded in subsequent years was clearlyevident in the improved forest vegetal coverand increased wildlife numbers. Moreover,the cessation of felling combined withprogressive wildlife management was ofconsiderable benefit to the ecosystem, anoutcome of the painstaking work carried outby the Gujarat State Forest Department andsupported by the Centre.

But, as is so often the case with habitatmanagement plans, solutions to one set ofproblems led to the creation of others. Movingthe maldharis to the peripheral regions resultedin the lions following their easy prey. Thegovernment’s attempt to compensate themaldharis’ loss of cattle, as a result of lion predation,was somewhat negated by the fact that manykills were made away from the core areas.

Another deterrent factor to the peacefulcoexistence of lion and man is the fact thatthe buffer areas around the main forests haveincreasingly come under the plough. Not onlybecause the maldharis were re-located here,but because new settlers arrived in largenumbers. Nilgai and wildboar readily take tocrop land and in the process of following

A handsome male pads over thorny ground. The great cat displays extreme caution as a wounded paw could render hunting abilities useless.

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them, lions often come into conflict withfarmers. An unfortunate state of affairsindeed. The truth is, that in the past, themaldharis never seriously complained of lionpredation. They had learned to live peaceablywith the great cats and were even sometimesbeholden to them for the protection theyafforded the simple herdsmen from rovingbands of trespassers and wood-poachers.

There is need to constantly monitor thecomplex problems and to understand theecology of the Gir. It is also imperative that,with all the modern facilities at our disposal,we should make a concerted effort to assess,in depth, the behaviour of the lions.

The King of the jungle.I watched fascinated from the cover of a

thick bush as the lioness lay crouched below asteep river bank 30 metres away. I was struckby her patience, as she remained, watchful, inthe same position for well over 20 minutes.The river formed a small pool which wasfrequented by a variety of game, the hoof printsof sambar, nilgai and chital could clearly beseen in the sand. Clumps of earth tossed aboutprobably indicated that this was a favouritewallowing spot for wild boar as well. A loudpiercing call punctuated the stillness of the airas a redwattled lapwing described a perfectarch in mid-flight, to settle knee-deep in theshallow water’s edge. Another 15 minutespassed by slowly. It seemed likely that boththe lioness and I would be disappointed. Thejungle seemed particularly lifeless; the onlycreature that had come to drink was a long-tailed mongoose; its ferret eyes constantlydarting about while it slaked its thirst.

My patience exhausted at the end of anhour, I quietly withdrew from the scene,leaving the lioness to her fate. I often wonderwhether she was able to make a kill that day.In any event, the drama of hunter and huntedwhich has taken place ceaselessly since pre-history has begun to pale in the face of man’srabid assault on habitats of all descriptions.And only very determined efforts byconservationists have enabled forests like Girto remain relatively whole.

The behaviour of Gir lions is somewhatdifferent to that of their African counterparts.In the rugged terrain of Gir, lions havedifficulty in sighting their prey from adistance, especially in a canopy of forest. Theytherefore, take full advantage of ravines,bushes, boulders, logs and grass to stalk andambush their prey.

In the teak habitat of Gir, during the dry,hot season, lions find it difficult to stalk theirprey because of the large, crispy, dry leaves whichcrackle underfoot. At this time the lions generallyprefer to follow well-worn paths and dustyroads. Those prey species, habituated to lie upunder shady trees or bushes are relatively safe, asthe lions’ concentration is focussed mainly onthe gregarious ungulates who betray themselvesby sound or movement. Hunting lions make

full use of wind direction. Preferring to huntupwind, they listen and even sniff the air fortraces of scent of their prey. Group hunting,using the strategy of encircling the prey, nodoubt makes for easier kills. However, owing tothe well-wooded terrain of Gir, hunting in largeprides is neither easy nor suitable. Together thelions would be spotted by innumerable birdsand mammals who would raise an alarm andthus warn away prospective prey.

The Shikra (Accipiter badius). A print taken from this transparency is permanently exhibited at the reception roomat Sasan-Gir. Birds of prey, abundant at Gir, are an important feature of the park.

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The ideal hunting combination of theGir lion is in pairs; known locally as ‘Belad’,such a pair often consists of two males. Smallprides may form hunting units but thesenormally roam the more open, grassy hills orflat scrub-lands. Solitary well-maned lions arean uncommon sight in the Gir unless an oldmale has been driven out of a pride. Onesuch animal was ‘Govinda’ whose tail tufthad been severed in combat and who, in his

last days, had been driven out of his territoryby younger lions. A fine, black and tawny-maned beast, Govinda, unlike most loners,had an even disposition and he thrilled visitorsby allowing them to approach him at closequarters on foot. Another fine lion ‘Teelio’,from whose photograph a postage stamp wasmade, could be identified by an old scar closeto his eye. Earlier, before the lion-shows,regular visitors to Gir had learned to recognise

‘Champlo’, a magnificent specimen, from hisperceptible limp. But it was not alwayspossible to sight these handsome creatures andone had to resort to using blinds or machans,and even then the lions were suspicious ofany unfamiliar sound or smell. This ‘wild’behaviour of the lions was infinitely preferableto the ‘tame’ conduct of today’s show-lions, afact that was strongly remarked upon byPrime Minister Indira Gandhi, when shevisited Gir in 1981.

The lion you see today at Gir is a far cryfrom the tall, heavy, woolly-maned animalthat roamed the plains of North Indiacenturies ago. He is a stockier beast, adaptedto climbing the steep, rugged, Gir hills andcapable of swift attacks from short distances.Moreover, the mild winters of Kathiawar nolonger compel him to grow the thickunderwool or hoary belly fringe once socharacteristic of this sub-species. All malesdevelop manes though some may be scantierthan others. (The report of one Captain Smee,that the Gujarat lion is maneless cannot beaccepted.) Two types of Gir lions are knownto local people, the Gadhio a dark-manedrobust animal and the Welio a light-manedlongish animal. The manes of African lionsare generally more prominent but one veryvisible difference between the two, is the larger

elbow and tail tufts of the Gir-Asiatic species.It is entirely possible that these characteristicsmay eventually be sufficient to establish theGir lion as a new race.

It was mooted at one time thatcompetition from leopards endangered thewell-being of lions by depleting their foodstock. What a mistaken notion! Yes, theleopard’s range overlaps, but his habits areconsiderably different. A solitary, nocturnalhunter, the leopard preys on the smaller gamesuch as four-horned antelope, pig,porcupine, langur, hare, jackal, pea-fowl andreptiles in addition to rodents, pariah dogs,

poultry and goats. Only very occasionallywill he kill the larger game on which the lionis dependent. In any case, panthers generallyinhabit the scrub, euphorbia and grasslandhills closer to habitation. They are also suitedto steep, rocky terrain into which lionsseldom venture. On the very rare occasionsthat the two do confront each other, theleopard will submit to the larger and strongerlion. I have, in fact, evidence of a lion killinga panther, the fight being a totally one-sidedaffair. All jungles are intricate ecosystems.They require scientific management in whichunnecessary human interference must be

prevented, so as to allow the animals to striketheir own balance. If my fifty years in Indianjungles have taught me anything it is thisvery basic fact.

In the Gir, fortunately for lions, there isno competition from wild dogs, who huntin very efficient packs elsewhere and aremore than a match for any large cat.

There has been much speculation aboutwhether the lion or the tiger were once inconflict and if so, as to which would havebeen the victor in the event of a clash. Thetruth is that lions and tigers have such vastlydiffering habits that the likelihood of their

Rare, wild orchids bloom at Gir. Visitors to wilderness areas are often delighted by some of these ‘lesser’ attractions, which constitute minute links in the larger chain of life.

Pugee Haidu, instructing forest guards.

(Top left) Bhappu, an ascetic who lived among the maldharis in one of their neses in the heart of Gir. The nes is a conglomeration of eight or ten residential huts aroundwhich a makeshift, protective thorn barrier is erected, the maldharis’ cattle are also kept inside the nes at nighttime. An adult nilgai bull (top right) looks watchfully over hisshoulder. These antelopes are well-suited to Gir’s sparse scrublands. They relish the leaves and fruit of ber trees, so abundant in Gir, and they can do without water forextended periods during dry spells. A lion attacks a tethered buffalo (Above). The practice of baiting for ‘lion-shows’ has been criticised by naturalists as it has affectedthe natural behaviour of the Gir lions.

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ever coming into conflict would have beenslim indeed. The tiger prefers leafy, shadedforest cover and is intolerant of heat. Hewill lie submerged in a jungle pool or riverto cool his body when the heat getsunbearable. The lion on the other hand,can stand intense heat and at best will seekrefuge under the shade of a stunted tree orlarge clump of euphorbia if the sun getsuncomfortably strong. The lion is alsopartial to dusty, dry country, (he oftenenjoys ‘dust-baths’) which the tiger wouldavoid. To my mind the reason why tigershave a wider distribution than lions has lessto do with their interspecific relationshipthan with the fact that lions, being socialanimals, provided easy targets for hunters’guns and were thus wiped out very easilyby indiscriminate killing.

There are two wildlife projects,pertaining to lions, currently beingimplemented in Kathiawar. One attemptsto re-locate some of the Gir lions to another200 sq.km. forest block in the Barda Hillsin western Kathiawar. The reasoning, thatall our eggs should not remain in one basket,cannot be faulted, but great care will haveto be taken to ensure that the environmentof the new site is perfectly suited tocarnivores. There must be sufficient bufferstocks of wild game for instance, and fromthe very onset, human interference shouldbe restricted to the minimum. The secondproject, the creation of a lion safari park

An overviewAfrica and India are the only countries in the world fortunate enough to house lions (Panthera leo). The Asiatic lion was once widespread,

from Asia Minor and Arabia through Persia to India, but today just over 200 animals, survive tenuously in the Gir forest of Kathiawar.The total area of the Gir Sanctuary is 1,412.13 sq.km. and within it a 140.4 sq.km. area has been designated as a National Park. A metre

high rubble wall of over 400 km. has been constructed to keep unwanted cattle out of the park. However, animals such as nilgai, chausinga,chital and sambar, find no difficulty in bounding over the wall. Effective management plans have shown encouraging results in recent years,though a still greater effort is necessary to ensure the long term survival of the lions.

Census figures of Gir lions from 1950 to 1979 are as under:

Year of census Method Lion population Total

Male Female Cubs

1950 Pug mark count (adults 179/187) 40 219 to 227*1955 - do - 141 100 49 2901963 - do - 82 134 69 285 **1968 Visual count 60 66 51 1771974 - do - 53 77 50 1801979 - do - 65 82 58 205

Gir – Last Bastion of the Asiatic Lion

The following are some of the prominent animals to be found in the Gir. Theirlocal names have been mentioned alongside in italics.

Lion - Sawaj of Sinh. Untia Bagh (Gujarat); Leopard - Dipado;Jungle cat — Jungali bilado or rani bilado; Hyena — Jarakh; Wolf — Naar;Jackal — Shial; Fox — Lonkdi; Ratel - Ghor-khodio or Bootado; Civet cat — Jabadio;Mongoose - Nolio; Sambar — Sembar; Chital - Pashu or pahu and Cheetal;Nilgai - Roj or Nilgai; Fourhorned antelope - Ghuntavdo; Blackbuck — Haran;Chinkara — Kal Punchha or Chikaro; Wild boar — Dukkar or Kala Janwar orBhund; Pangolin — Salvo; Porcupine — Shedhadi; Crocodile — Mughar;Monitor lizard — Gho; Python — Chitalo or Ajgar; Langur — Vandaro;Hare — Saslo; Star-shelled tortoise — Dhal Kachlo or Dungaral Kachlo;Chameleon — Lilo mankido.

* Detailed figures showing the male/female ratio were not available. ** According to the author the census figures for 1963 are suspect.

Gir – Last Bastion of the Asiatic Lion

A cub stares curiously at the author while its protective mother watches from underthe shade of a karambdi bush.

A langur slakes its thirst, crouched characteristically low over one of Gir’s perennialwater sources.

close to Sasan Gir is, in my opinion, ill-conceived. Why pen lions for visitors whenthey can be allowed the opportunity ofseeing them in their glory, free and wild? Asafari park at Gir would be justified only inthe unfortunate likelihood of the wild lionsbecoming extinct!

Admittedly, today’s tourists are rushedfor time and the staged shows have enabledmany to photograph and watch them atclose range, but I feel that audio-visualorientation programmes could easilyeducate visitors to appreciate the thrill ofwatching animals in their natural,undisturbed state.

Gir is spectacular from December toMarch when it is cool and the flame of theforest is in bloom. Wildlife sightings would,

of course, be better in summer when mostwater courses dry up. With the first fewshowers the Gir forests turn verdant,stimulating the ubiquitous magpie robinto burst into full song, as do many otherbirds, thus creating a chorus of avian music.This symphony, of bird and animal sounds,is what makes the land of the lion socharming. Yet, without Panthera leo, howdiminished would be the attraction. Forthe sake of us all, I hope the Gir NationalPark and Sanctuary can meet the imposingchallenge of ensuring the vital safety of theGir ecosystem and the peaceful co-existenceof maldharis, lions and tourists. This wasthe basic purpose of establishing the parkand on its success will depend the future ofthe last Asiatic lions.

Two of Gir’s famous herdsmen, the maldharis. For many years these simple folk have lived alongside the lions andhave come to understand the animals’ behaviour extremely well.

The redwattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus). Its highpitched call is a familiar sound to those who frequentsanctuaries all over the subcontinent.

1979 census figures for other Giranimals are as under:Species:

Panther 161Hyena 84Spotted deer 8,431Sambar 760Nilgai 2,036Wild boar 2,365Four horned antelope 1,042Chinkara 330Monkey 6,895

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