Siddi Tribe Sasan Gir National Park History Junagadh Gujarat India

The men folk of African primitive tribe Siddi, who were brought here as slaves by the Portuguese, are being trained to become eco-guides of the Asiatic lions last abode -- Gir Sanctuary -- by the Gujarat State Government.

This is a part of the project initiated by the state Tribal Development department in order to improve livelihood, housing, access to safe drinking water and electricity, increase literacy, health facilities and roads to the five major Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) of Gujarat, namely Kolgha, Kathodi, Kotwalia, Padhar and Siddi.

"Looking at the concentration of Siddi tribe near the Gir Forests in Junagadh District, we thought of training them to become eco-guides, which will help them take advantage of the growing eco-tourism in the state, especially around Gir Forest region," Secretary, Tribal Development A M Tiwari.

Sasan Gir National Park – 72 Asiatic Lions Die in Last 2 years

Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Asiatic lions are the pride of Gujarat and he won't part with them. But the animals seem to be endangered in their sole habitat. The Gujarat State Government has admitted that 72 Asiatic lions died in the Gir Sanctuary in the past two years.

Of them, one was killed by poachers and the rest, the government claimed, were from natural causes. Replying to a question in the assembly, the state government said on Tuesday that there were only 291 lions left in the Gir sanctuary as on December 31, 2009.

Among them were 100 lionesses and 123 cubs in a park spread over 1,400 sq km of Sasan Gir forest area. Conservationists have long complained that Gir Jungle was overcrowded and some lions need to be shifted to a sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. But Modi has repeatedly said he wasn't going to share the state's biggest tourist attraction.

More than 13,500 open wells in Gir pose a threat to lions, many of which have been killed after falling into them. Many lion deaths in Gir Wildlife Sanctuary have occurred from fights between the animals. "There are several deaths because of territorial fights over lionesses," says conservationist Sanat Chavan.

However, some officials say though lions are dying in large numbers, the total population is higher than what the government gave the assembly. Principal Chief Conservator of forests Pradeep Khanna told TOI that the data was only about lions in the protected area.

"Lions are also found in Girnar hills, in the coastal area as well as in Bhavnagar District and other parts outside the sanctuary. The last census showed there were 359 lions. The next census will be held by April this year," he said.

Sasan Gir Forest National Park - GIS for Asiatic Lions

In a first, the state Sasan Gir Forest Department will be using Geographical Information System (GIS) for census of Asiatic lions in the Gir Forest National Park from April 25 to 30.

Unlike in earlier methods, the department will not be using baits for the census this time.

Nearly 450 beat guards have been identified as enumerators for the upcoming census.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Pradeep Khanna said, “We are opting for GIS mapping to prevent redundancy and bring in more accuracy in counting.”

According to Khanna, in the last census, a total of approximately 360 lions were reported at the Gir sanctuary.

“We will not use baits this year. We have not used the system for two consecutive terms. We have trained our staff to follow simply the sighting system,” he said.

The preliminary survey for probable locations of sighting lions has already begun at the sanctuary.

Forest officials said, “We will also identify lions by their scars, which is a specific method for some animals that are found close to human habitats and those away from the area.”

Khanna said: “The GIS system will help the Forest department to do away with the tabular form of saving the Asiatic lion census data. It will also facilitate the department to bookmark Asiatic lions habitat including changing trends and seasonal patterns.”

According to officials, new methods will be a combination of the earlier ones. “The census will be done in three parts. First, it will be counting, followed by rest for the staff and lastly the collation of sightings,” said forest officers.

Sasan Gir National Park Forest Jungle Asiatic Lions Junagadh News Gujarat India

Gir Asiatic lions at Sasan Gir National Park, Talala Junagadh District to wear a chip under their skin.

The Gujarat government has decided to install microchips under the skin of the lions in the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the only abode of the Asiatic lions, to track their movements.

The decision was taken following a series of lion killings, both natural and accidental, an official spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said a control tower would also be set up in the sanctuary with global positioning system. The State has sanctioned Rs.40 crore for the project.