Gir PA is divided into three management units, namely Sanctuary West (SW), National Park (NP) and Sanctuary East (SE) that vary with respect to rainfall,
topography, vegetation, management regimes and anthropogenic pressures (Khan et al., 1996; Singh & Kamboj, 1996). While NP is inviolate, around 12 334 livestock are resident in forest settlements Dasatinib in vitro and nesses (hamlets of local pastoral community, the Maldharis, within the protected area) and permitted to graze in SW and SE (Fig. 1, Pathak et al., 2002). Data on prey carcass and scats were collected in SW, SE, NP and areas falling c. 5 km outside protected area boundary (hereafter referred to as peripheral areas). Approximately, 94 582 livestock (chiefly buffalo and cattle) are present in the 97 peripheral villages falling within this zone. Ness survey and monitoring of feeding habits of individual lions was carried out within an intensive study area of 1075 km2 covering SW and NP (Fig. 1). The only surviving free-ranging population of Asiatic lion exists as a single population in and around the Gir PA. Lions underwent a population bottleneck more than
100 years ago (O’Brien et al., 1987) and subsequently click here passed through the five stages of conservation mentioned (Linklater, 2003). The Gir Lion Project (1972) to revive the population of Asiatic lions, implemented stringent conservation measures including partial removal of people and livestock medchemexpress out of the protected area. The project helped to check the increasing animosity among livestock owners towards lions as a consequence of enormous losses to predation and inadequate compensation (Joslin, 1973). During this period lions lost their livestock kills to hide collectors and also succumbed to occasional carcass poisoning (Joslin, 1973). As a result
of successful management there has been an increase in the lion population from <50 (Dalvi, 1969) at the turn of the last century, to about 411 in 2010. An estimated 114 lions occur in Girnar Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary, Savarkundla, Liliya and adjoining areas and constitute the ‘satellite lion population’ (Meena, 2010). Apart from lions, other large carnivores in Gir include leopard Panthera pardus and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena. Wild prey comprises of chital Axis axis, sambar Rusa unicolor, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, chousingha Tetracerus quadricornis, chinkara Gazella bennetti, wild pig Sus scrofa, porcupine Hystrix indica, common langur Semnopithecus entellus, rufous tailed hare Lepus nigricollis ruficaudata and peafowl Pavo cristatus (Singh & Kamboj, 1996). Prey are resident throughout the year with minimal seasonal variation (Khan et al., 1996). Wild ungulate density (±se) is estimated at 48.3 (±6.1) individuals km−2 (Table 2; Dave, 2008). Data collection was carried out from April 2002 to December 2006, except for continuous day–night observation on radio-collared lions that was carried out only in 2006.
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