Monday, August 21, 2017

Asiatic Lions at Gir

Asiatic Lions are found only in Gir Forests of Gujarat. They have been marked as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The approximate population of the lions is between 300 - 400.



In Gir Sanctuary went for Jeep Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted pride of Asiatic Lions in a small open area in the forest.



They are very similar to the African lion in physical size and appearance, though they are somewhat smaller. The height at the shoulders is approximately 3.5 ft The mane of the male lions is short, sparse and darker in color. 



The fur ranges in color from ruddy tawny, heavily speckled with black, to sandy or buff-grey. They have a very unique longitudinal fold of skin that runs along their belly. 



They live in prides, that include only two to five females each. The different jeeps in the Safari take different predefined routes inside the forest. We were one of the few lucky ones who could spot the lions in our route.

30 comments:

Haddock said...

You were lucky to spot some of them from the jeep.

NatureFootstep said...

lions always seem to be sleepy :)

R Niranjan Das said...

Nice captures.

Fun60 said...

How lucky were you! with so few lions, sightings must be rare.

rupam sarma said...

Amazing pics. Thanks for the post.

Lady Fi said...

Wow - amazing!

s.c said...

Good captures of the lions. A pity that there is no room anymore for them in the world.

Jeevan said...

Nice capture on the relaxing ones... and should be exciting watching them in forest!

carol l mckenna said...

Beautiful photography of the Asian lions ~ ^_^

(A ShutterBug Explores)

ABC-Wednesday said...

wonderful photo's of gorgeous creatures... we should take more care of them though...don't you think

Have a ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/21-g/

Christine said...

Beautiful shots of these majestic cats!

Roger Owen Green said...

It's always sad when creatures are endangered because of us humans!
ROG, ABCW

Ruth said...

These is very nice! When I think about lions, I do not think about India or Asia but it is good to know they live there too. Hope their population grows and prospers. #OurWorldTuesday

Betty said...

That must have been really exciting. I'm not sure I'd want to be in an open jeep though.

Pat Tillett said...

They are truly amazing animals!
Nice photos!

Anonymous said...

oh wow. they sooooooo need to be protected.

Gattina said...

They are beautiful !

Lois said...

Beautiful animals. Your photos are wonderful!

Unknown said...

They look almost the same as the lions we have.
Have a nice ABC-week.
Daphne, ABCW~team
http://www.dcdjfotografie.nl/21-giraffe/

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

That's amazing! I'm glad you got on the 'right' Jeep tour -- thank you for sharing. They are beautiful animals. I hope the species survives.

Anonymous said...

That is something great to see :)

sandyland said...

superb

Jeanna said...

I've always wanted to do this. The lions seem to be okay with it all but I think I'd stay in the jeep, lol.

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Nice photos of the lions and cubs.

A Colorful World said...

It's horrible how the population of lions has diminished! You got some great photos. I bet it was an exciting trip!

Jane said...

Great captures of such a rare cat these days due to hunters and habitat, I bet there won't be any left in 20 years-shame on the world!

Breathtaking said...

Hello!:) How wonderful that you could see these beautiful lions from your jeep. Great captures of these magnificentes animals.

Phil Slade said...

A great trip Rajesh. I'd love to do that jeep safari.

Deepa said...

Lovely Post for G

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Gordon said...

Really interesting post Rajesh, didn't think there was any of that breed left.
All the best, Gordon.