Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Rishi]

(02-04-2019, 05:15 PM)Lycaon Wrote: Just a general question.

Why are there no quality videos of asiatic lions hunting nilgai and sambar deer .?

(02-11-2019, 07:53 PM)Lycaon Wrote: I still don't understand why there is not more high quality photos of asiatic lion!

That male is massive.

Same answer buddy!
They (& Gir) just don't get the India-wide attention that tigers do. That means a handful of some enthusiastic Gujaratis are doing most of the photography & that also is restricted at a small area of the national park. Compare it to an Tiger Reserve it off tourism spotlight, like Pilibhit & you'll find similarities.
Outside Gir, everything is amateur work by locals. That's why there are very less quality photos is of the lions spread over all of Greater Gir landscape, let alone footage of them hunting.

As far as hunts are concerned, most footages of tiger hunts are from only a few reserves at clearings with tall, dense grass that tigers prefer to hunt on, many were once crop fields of now-relocated villages & natural vegetation grew back.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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.

*This image is copyright of its original author

But there 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 like this;

*This image is copyright of its original author

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