Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat

Gir Forest National Park is among India's most famous national parks, and it is the only place after Africa where you can see lions roaming in the wild. It is located 65 km away from the Junagarh district of Gujarat. It was declared a national park on 18th September 1965 by the Nawabs of Junagarh and the reason behind this is; to provide protection and conservation to Asiatic lions. The National Park is spread over an area of 1415 Square kilometres and is adjoining to Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests.

Gir National Park is among the biggest animal sanctuary in India, and it is also named Sasan Gir.

Flora

According to the census done in 2006, there are over 500 different plant species in Gir national park, and with time numbers are increasing.

The forest is also one of the best places for biological research and is the major source of income for the local government. Every year they make an income of around 10 million Dollars by selling green grass and woods for fuel.

Fauna

Talking about fauna species in the Gir National Park currently, there are around 38 distinct species of mammals, over 300 birds, and 3000 species of insects. The biggest among all animals are carnivores like Asiatic Lion, Leopard, Hyna, Asiatic wildcats, and many others.

The herbivores category includes chital, nilgai, sambar, blackbuck, etc. It is also famous for the reptiles like the mugger crocodile, Indian cobra, tortoise, and monitor lizard.

In the past few years, due to the continuous and effective government efforts, the counting of Asiatic Lion increased from 400 hundred to 650.

Currently, the population of lions in Gir national park is around 600, of which 120 are male, 235 are female, and 245 are sub-adult lions.