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Lions in the main forest were not interested
in domestic livestock and the Maldharis were able to protect their
stock with relative ease. Prior to and after Independence
conditions in Gir deteriorated rapidly to the detriment both of
the Maldharis and the Lions. Widespread destruction of private
forests was initiated when the owners got wind of the likely
takeover of their forest by the newly formed state government.
This was followed by hydro-electric projects, which involved the
mass clearance of forests, for example the Ukai project in South
Gujurat which involved the sacrifice of 40,000 hectares of teak
forest. Habitat loss as with all the parks in
India is usually the catalyst for conflict between local people
and the resident wildlife. Good quality grazing became scarcer and
financial inducements were offered to the Maldharis to allow
illegal entry to the park of large numbers of cattle, many of
which came from areas far from the park. This huge increase in
cattle and buffalo was a bonanza for the lion prides who were
losing a lot of their prey species such as Chitel and Sambar due
to habitat destruction. The lions completely changed their eating
habits to almost exclusively hunt the domestic livestock and the
conflict was born. Soon after on a regular basis, entire prides of
lions were found dead in the park by forest guards, the victims of
poisoning by disgruntled herdsmen.
Sasan Gir Lion sanctuary is definitely one of India's success
stories. From a pitifully small number of around twenty lions at
the turn of the century there are now over 300 lions in the park.
If you compare this number to the populations of 20 to 30 tigers
in most Project Tiger parks you can see that your chance of a lion
sighting (with a reasonable length of stay) is good. In fact the
park is not big enough to support the current population and two
smaller populations have established to the south and north of the
park boundaries. It is doubtful in the long run if these two
populations will survive due to the fragmented habitat and human
population pressures in these areas.
Gir is also home to one of the largest leopard
populations in any park in India, and especially in the hotter
season they can sometimes be seen at night close to the lodges.
Other wildlife to look out for are the Four-Horned Antelope (which
is the only four-horned ungulate in the world), Wild Boar, Wolf,
Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat, Chinkara, Blue Bull, Marsh Muggers as
well as a wonderful variety of bird species.
The park is one of the best protected sanctuaries in India with as
many as eight hundred guards patrolling the entire park. When they
are not looking out for illegal grazers or cutters they are
filling up the numerous artificial water holes. These are vital in
periods of drought for the lions prey species which have rapidly
increased in number under the protection of the park authorities.
The lions feeding habits have changed back to a 'normal' pattern
with wild ungulates accounting for seventy percent of their kills.
Not all of the Maldhari population has been relocated and several
populations survive in the park. They live in scattered
settlements called 'nesses' consisting of six to seven houses.
They protect their cattle and buffalo at night by herding them in
to enclosures made out of thorn. They still lose some livestock to
the lions during the day as their livestock are moved around the
park for grazing. The Maldharis live a nomadic way of life and are
strictly vegetarian. Sale of their dairy products is the mainstay
of their economy. They sell ghee in nearby towns as well as dung
manure produced from their livestock.
Another fascinating aspect of Gir is that it is also home to
several Negro families (locally know as Siddis). They only marry
within their own community, are Muslim and speak the local
language which is Gujurati. They have no real knowledge of
agriculture but under the Government Assisted Scheme for tribal
persons have become landowners in their own right. There seems to
be very little information on where they came from originally and
any knowledge of an African language has disappeared. One story is
that the Nawab of Junagadh visited Africa at the end of the 18th
century and brought back some slaves. This community of pure
African origin then settled in Jambur next to the Lion Sanctuary.
The park is open from October until mid-June and wildlife viewing
is by jeep. It is important to note that park entry fees are
increased on weekends, and more extensively during festival dates
such as Diwali, Christmas and Holi, so it is worthwhile timing
your visit accordingly. Although still camera fees remain fairly
nominal, there is a $200 fee payable to use a video camera inside
Sasan Gir.
The park is best reached by internal flight from Mumbai (Bombay)
to Rajkot followed by a relatively comfortable car transfer.
Alternatively Sasan Gir could be included in a more extensive tour
of the fascinating state of Gujurat, with wildlife highlights
including Wild Ass in the Little Rann of Kutch, Blackbuck antelope
at Velvadar, and historical sites in and around Ahmedabad and
Junagadh, such as the 11th century Sun Temple at Modhera and one
of the finest step-wells at Patan. |
