Sasan Gir - Forest, National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Sasan-Gir,) is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India. Established in 1965, with a total area of 1412 km² (about 258 km² for the fully protected area (the national park) and 1153 km² for the Sanctuary), the park is located 65 km to the south-east of Junagadh and 60 km to south west of Amreli.

It is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica) and is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species. The ecosystem of Gir, with its diverse flora and fauna, is protected as a result of the efforts of the government forest department, wildlife activists and NGOs. The forest area of Gir and its lions were declared as "protected" in the early 1900s by the then Nawab of the princely state of Junagadh. This initiative assisted in the conservation of the lions whose population had plummeted to only 15 through slaughter for trophy hunting.

The April 2010 census recorded the lion-count in Gir at 411, an increase of 52 compared to 2005. The lion breeding programme covering the park and surrounding area has bred about 180 lions in captivity since its inception.

The count of 2,375 distinct fauna species of Gir includes about 38 species of mammals, around 300 species of birds, 37 species of reptiles and more than 2,000 species of insects.

The carnivores group mainly comprises Asiatic lions, Indian Leopards, Sloth bears, Jungle cats, Striped Hyenas, Golden Jackals, Indian Mongoose, Indian Palm Civets, and Ratels. Desert cats and Rusty-spotted cats exist but are rarely seen.

The main herbivores of Gir are Chital, Nilgai (or Bluebull), Sambar, Four-horned Antelope, Chinkara and Wild boar. Blackbucks from the surrounding area are sometimes seen in the sanctuary.

Among the smaller mammals, Porcupine and Hare are common but the Pangolin is rare. The reptiles are represented by the mugger Marsh crocodile (highest population among all protected areas in India), the Indian Star Tortoise and the Monitor Lizard in the water areas of the sanctuary. Snakes are found in the bushes and forest. Pythons are sighted at times along the stream banks. Gir has been used by the Gujarat State Forest Department which adopted the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project in 1977 and released close to 1000 Marsh crocodile reared in Gir rearing centre into the Kamaleshwar lake and other reservoirs and small water bodies in and around Gir.

The plentiful avifauna population has more than 300 species of birds, most of which are resident. The scavenger group of birds has 6 recorded species of Vultures. Some of the typical species of Gir include Crested Serpent Eagle, endangered Bonelli's Eagle, Crested Hawk-eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Great Horned Owl, Bush Quail (or Quailbush), Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-headed Oriole, Crested Treeswift and Indian Pitta. The Indian Grey Hornbill was not found in the last census of 2001.

The Asiatic Lions habitat is dry scrub land and open deciduous forest. These lions were once found across northern Africa, south west Asia and northern Greece. Now there are only around 411 left in the wild and all of them are in or around the Gir Forest National Park.

Even though the Gir Forest is well protected, there are instances of Asiatic Lions being poached. They have also been poisoned for attacking livestock. Some of the other threats include floods, fires and the possibility of epidemics and natural calamities. Gir nonetheless remains the most promising long term preserve for them

Attractions:

• Wildlife: The foremost attraction in the park is the beasts that roam around freely, the most majestic being undoubtedly the lion. It is this majestic beast that attracts the maximum tourists to this park. Of course, you must understand that it would probably take a long time to view lions or lionesses with their cubs, since they don’t emerge too quickly out of their hiding. However, other creatures that inhabit the park and that are equally interesting to look out for are leopards, jungle cat, hyenas, jackals and mongoose.
  
  
  
• Birds: A sure bird-watcher’s paradise, the park has quite a variety of vultures, crested serpent eagle, the endangered bonelli's eagle, crested hawk-eagle and the great horned owl. Occasionally the Indian grey hornbill can also be spotted here.
• Nalsarovar Lake and Bird Sanctuary: This sanctuary comes under the Gir Forest and is home to a large number of birds. It is the largest wetland and bird sanctuary in India.
• Crocodile Breeding Farm: The Crocodile Breeding Farm near Sasan is an interesting place to see, where reptiles are hatched and reared before they are set free into the forest in their natural habitat.
  
  
  
• Tulsi Shyam Temple: A temple dedicated to Lord Krishna is present in the area belonging to the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. Hot springs nearby are also a major attraction. The strong smell of sulphur here makes the area easily recognizable.
  
  
  How To Reach Sasan Gir
  From Rajkot: Get down at Rajkot Railway Station / Airport and take a Auto / Taxi to Limda chowk. From here a number of private buses will go to Junagadh at Regular intervals. Junagarh is 105 Kms from Rajkot and the bus Journey takes around two and a half hours.
  Once you reach Junagad, take a auto to the local bus stand. From here you have two options. You can either go by bus from gate no 10/11 to Sasan Gir which costs Rs 38/- or either take a Taxi which is available from opposite the bus stand directly to your hotel in Sasan Gir. This journey of 55 kms takes around an hour and a half. The taxi will charge around Rs 550/- to Rs 650/- depending on your bargaining skill for the drop to Sasan Gir.       
  From Diu: As soon as you get down at Diu airport, take a taxi which is available outside and tell them that you want to go to Sasan Gir. Sasan gir is about 110 kms from Diu airport. If your flight comes to Diu after lunch, then it is better to halt at Diu [Radhika Resort-3 star] for the night or alternatively one can drive down to Somnath temple and halt there for the night at Safari hotel and resort [Very good value for money hotel]. The distance from Diu to Somnath is 75 kms and the road is good except in some patches. It takes around an hour to reach Somnath from Diu. Sasan Gir is around 45 kms from Somnath and takes around an hour and the road here is also good.
  From Keshod: Keshod is only 40 kms from Sasan
  
  
  Climate                                            Max                                     Min
  Summer                                            43 C                                     33 C
  Winter                                              15 C                                      7 C
  
  
  Distances from Sasan
  By Road from:
  Ahmedabad ...  408 Kms [7 hour drive]
  Rajkot ....             160 Kms [3 hour drive]
  Junagadh ....          55 Kms
  Veraval ....            40 Kms
  Diu   ....                110 Kms
  

  
  
  Nearest railway Station .... Sasan - 0 kms  / Rajkot  160 Kms
  
  
  Nearest Airport .... Rajkot ... 160 Kms
                                   Diu ....... 110 Kms
                                   Keshod ....  40 Kms [Deccan airways to start flight here soon]
  
  
  Visiting season
  The sanctuary is open for Tourists from 16th October to 15th June each year