Gir National Park, also popularly known as Sasan Gir, is not only a national park but also a forest and wildlife sanctuary located in Gujarat. Gir National Park is one of two places in the world outside Africa where lions still exist. The other wildlife sanctuary is Bannerghatta National Park, but, unlike Gir’s healthy and flourishing lion population, Bannerghatta has only a few lions that are hard to spot.
Water from the Gir region’s seven major perennial rivers quenches the thirst of its wild animals on the hottest of the summer days. During peak summer, there are at least 300 water points available to the park’s thirsty wildlife. The forest department has to ensure water availability during times of drought, due to poor rainfall in the area. Other than being a primary water source for the park’s wildlife, these rivers also host some of the park’s popular attractions.
According to the latest lion census, the population of Asiatic lions in the last five years has risen by 29%. The forest department stated there are around 674 Asiatic lions in Gir National Park. These lions are one of the primary attractions of the park.
Apart from lions, the park is home to 38 other species of mammals. In 2015, there were 300 Indian leopards in the park. After Asiatic lions, Indian leopards are the most sought-after wildlife species. Other predators include Bengal fox, golden jackal, jungle cat, and spotted hyena. Although the park also has some rusty-spotted cats and Asiatic wildcats, they are rarely spotted.
Amongst the commonly spotted herbivores are blackbucks, chinkara, chital, four-horned antelope, sambar, and wild boar.
With over 300 bird species calling it home, Gir National Park is also an excellent birding destination. It has at least five different vulture species – Indian vulture, Egyptian vulture, griffon vulture, red-headed vulture, and white-rumped vulture. There are also 16 distinctive species of eagles – black eagle, booted eagle, Bonelli’s eagle, crested serpent eagle, changeable hawk eagle, eastern imperial eagle, greater spotted eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, Indian spotted eagle, Pallas’s fish eagle, short-toed eagle, steppe eagle, and tawny eagle.
The park has over 40 reptiles species, including marsh crocodiles, Indian star tortoise, flap shell turtle, Indian chameleon, red sand boa, Indian rock python, Russel’s viper, saw-scaled viper, and spectacled cobra.
Summers (April to June) are considered to be the best time to visit the Gir National Park for wildlife viewing and photography although April and May are the hottest months in India as the temperatures can rise as high as 103.1°F. The heat is one of the reasons it is easy to spot the wildlife as the animals prefer to spend time in sheltered areas, under the trees beneath the shade or closer to water bodies. In the absence of vegetation, visitors can see the wildlife gathering around the water holes.
Gir National Park remains closed for the duration of the monsoon, which is approximately from June to October. For those who want to visit the Gir National Park in cooler climates, November to January is an ideal period to plan a trip.
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