Luck of the Draw: Spotting Asiatic Lions in Gir

I was repeatedly told before I left for Gir that lions are not an elusive sight. “They’re lazy and lie around all day”, said some. “They live in large groups, making them easier to spot”, said a few. Others assured me that the thin forests in Gir made spotting them easy. Poppycock, I was soon to find out.

It is true that lions spend a large part of their day lying in the shade, but wouldn’t you do the same if the temperatures crossed 30 degrees C in the shade? Also, as anyone with housecats will attest, cats are most active from dusk to dawn and spend the day resting. This also holds true for their larger, non-domesticated cousins. As for the lack of forest cover aiding sighting, the acacia scrub and beige-hued earth of Gir combine to camouflage lions lazing in what would otherwise be plain sight.

From abundance to the brink of extinction, and recovery

The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) once roamed a large area, from Turkey in the west to the dry open forests of Central India in the east, with the south Caucasus marking the northern edge of its range. Unlike its African cousin, however, by the 19th century, it was found only in Asia and even there, it had started to go extinct across most of its range. This was attributed mainly to the spread of firearms across Asia, making it easier to hunt and kill an otherwise formidable target. This was also the main reason behind it slowly vanishing from its strongholds on the Indian subcontinent in the 20th century as the Asiatic lion became a coveted shikar target for Indian royalty and the colonial elite. 

By the turn of the 20th century, the only surviving population of around a dozen lions was in the Gir forest in south Gujarat. They lucked out when the Nawab of Junagadh decided to protect them in what was then his private hunting grounds. In 1903, the Nawab refused Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, permission to hunt lions in Gir.

Under the Nawab’s protection lion numbers grew, and in 1965, Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary was established. This was a blessing for the species as the protection prevented them from going extinct and let their numbers soar.

In 2020, the Asiatic lion population in Gujarat was estimated at 674, though this number has not been empirically confirmed. While lions in India are protected from hunters, they face numerous other threats caused by encroaching development, including the expansion of agricultural areas and the spread of the canine distemper virus.

Difference between Asiatic and African Lions

Asiatic lions, now only seen in Saurashtra’s Gir and surrounding districts, differ from their African cousins in several ways. They are smaller and leaner. Asiatic lion males tend to weigh 160-190 kg and females 110-120 kg compared to male African lions who are 150-250 kg while females are 120-180 kg. Asiatic lion males tend to have a shorter mane that is less thick than their African counterparts. On the other hand, they have thicker tufts at the ends of their (60-100 cm-long) tails and longer tufts of elbow hair. They also have a fold of skin running the length of their belly, something the smooth-bellied African species does not.

Lions have a life span of around 16 years. They are unique in how they live together in large family groups called prides. Prides consist of several (often related) adult lionesses, who may rear their cubs communally, and a couple of males. The cubs can be sired by one or more males who may be related, oversee the territory, and ensure the general safety of the pride. While this behaviour is seen in both species, the size of prides in India is 3-14 lions while they tend to be larger in Africa (15-30). In India, lions tend not to form the large coalitions of adult males regularly observed in Africa. These differences could perhaps be an evolutionary response to habitat — the vast expanses of the African savannah with a large prey base could possibly foster larger groups of predators at one site than the more closed scrub forests of Gir. This makes the sighting of large prides somewhat rare in Gir.

Luck can turn quickly in Gir. One morning, towards the end of our safari, we saw a forest guard standing still, staring intently into a nullah. The authorities at Gir designate guards to shadow lions, and their job, besides guarding against poachers, is monitoring the animals for signs of distress or ill health. Now, if you spot a forest guard on patrol duty in Gir, the chances of his charges being close by are quite high. And as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened. Our driver inched his vehicle forward to the lip of the nullah, and when we got to within 10 feet, he killed the engine. We saw something black and twitching. It turned out to be a cow on its side. Then, we heard a muffled grunt and a male lion popped its head up from behind the carcass. From his bloody maw, it was clear that he had been feeding on his kill. Even my veteran guide couldn’t believe our luck at this sighting. The magnificent male appeared to lock eyes with me. I felt like time stood still. It felt like an epoch to me, but it was more like 10 seconds. The spell broke when the lion grunted, slowly rose to his feet, and ambled down the nullah to slake his thirst. The sight of a male in full mane, feeding on kill and looking me right in the eye is an experience that even luck can’t fully account for.

Given that the lion was feeding on a cow, I was curious to know how this could be a point of conflict with the locals. I found out that the resettling of most of the Maldharis, a community of traditional pastoralists, outside the park’s borders, coupled with increase in numbers of prey species like blue bull antelope, sambar, and spotted deer, has led to a drop in cattle being preyed upon inside the park.

On my last safari through the park, my driver took a different route. We saw a fair number of deer, but the lions evaded us. With about half an hour to exit I was sure the lions were going to be a no-show, but my driver had other thoughts. We turned around a thicket when he braked. With the piercing gaze of a raptor, he identified a family of four lions — a lion, a lioness, and two cubs — sleeping in the shade. I couldn’t believe our luck and felt privileged to have sighted so many lions. But there was more to come. While driving out of the park, we heard the distinctive roar of a lion boom out from the trees on our left. This was quickly answered by another roar from the opposite side of the road. I’m just glad the luck of the draw was on my side that evening.