By Haida Bolton

The Asian Lion once inhabited land stretching from Greece to India. Now this animal, differing from its African cousin mainly due to a less prominent mane, only lives in the wild in one park in India.

Nearly thwarted to extinction at the turn of the twentieth century, the population of this magnificent beast has grown from less than twenty in 1913 to a whopping 350 in 2005. One might argue that 350 of one species living in the wild is not much, but it is too much for the limiting boundaries of Gir Sanctuary and National Park in Gujarat State in Western India.

Lions are starting to leave the Sanctuary and Park which cover an area of 1412 square kilometers. There is too much competition for feeding territories. So those searching for unclaimed territory wander into nearby villages where they cause fear and panic among the people and are shot as a result. In 1995, a pride consisting of one lioness and two cubs wandered as far as the Arabian Sea. Luckily they were captured and brought back to the park before any harm came to them.

Both Gir National Park (259 sq. km) and Gir Sanctuary (1153 sq. km) house a host of other wildlife. Thirty-eight species of mammal, 300 species of bird, 37 species of reptile and more than 2000 species of insects make up this unique ecosystem. The lions feed mainly on the 40,000 spotted deer, known locally as chital. Other common feasts include sambar, nilgai, wild boar, and domestic cattle and buffalo usually owned by the Maldharis.

The Maldharis are a peace-loving people who have lived in harmony with their environment probably forever. This nomadic, vegetarian community live within the sanctuary. They earn their living by selling milk, ghee and manure. Often they refuse the large cash compensation that the Forestry Department offers for the loss of their livestock to their predators.

The growing communities both within and surrounding the sanctuary are a constant threat to the size of the lion's home. The Forestry Department works constantly at educating and resettling these people. With the constant threats of a diminishing forest, cyclones, drought and disease, the staff who work tirelessly at protecting the lion need to find a second home for them.

In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, east of Gujarat State, the Forest department has been working for nearly ten years to prepare another habitat for the Asian Lion. Kuno Palpur Sanctuary in the north of this state will hopefully, one day, receive some of the overflow from Gir.

It is in this second home where the lion can continue its upward climb, soaring (or roaring!) to the top, leaving us in awe of his comeback and truly proving he is the king of the world.