Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Suhail]

(02-20-2019, 08:00 PM)Rishi Wrote:

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All of Gir on the other hand, is a hill complex. Doesn't really have rolling plains or lakeside meadows (like Ranthambore). Closest thing you'll see there would be barren hillocks with inches short grass or bushes.
Lions may relax there on winter mornings but not hunt. Ever seen a tiger hunt video from Sundarban?
Same reason... Lions find it easier to ambush prey in the thick forests.

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But the is better news.
Last year Gujarat govt had decided to enhance lion habitat & preybase in & outside protected areas.

Even before that, decision was taken to divert funds to developing proper grasslands, that once existed but were degraded by overgrazing as local population grew.
Forest department have been reviving huge tracts of barren wastelands by growing grass in massive quantity.

Their figures show that in the last 30 years average grass production in this region was 64.4 lakh kg per hectare. That has gone up 285% to 180 lakh kg per year in 2017-18.

With the new funds from Central govt. lots of the area will be back under grassland cover like some rare surviving patches.

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I've also think the gir landscape looks very different from plains such as kuno or african savannas,where they evolved to hunt.Gir rather looks like plateau of rolling hills of grassland and scrub forest. The significance of these rolling hills over the plain landscape is that it (hills) creates large surface area comparing the aerial extent of landscape.it might be a reason that gir national park support high lion population with quite small normal area. 
Typical gir landscape:

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satellite view of gir:

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not only the gir region, several other hilly landscapes such as central india, western ghats have the advantage of large surface area unlike plains with the same aerial extent. Reply