RAVIRAJSINH VAJA

The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Sasan-Gir, and गिर वन) is a forest and wildlife sanctuaryin Gujarat, India. Established in 1965, with a total area of 1412 km² (about 258 km² for the fully protected area the national parkand 1153 km² for the Sanctuary), the park is located 43 km in the north-east from Somnath, 65 km to the south-east ofJunagadh and 60 km to south west of Amreli.^[1]

It is the sole home of the Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) and is considered to be one of the most important protected areasin 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 were the hunting grounds of the Nawabs of Junagadh. However, faced with a drastic drop in the lion population in Gir, Nawab Sir Muhammad Rasul Khanji Babi declared Gir as a "protected" area in 1900. His son, Nawab Muhammad_Mahabat_Khan_III ^[2] later assisted in the conservation of the lions whose population had plummeted to only 20 through slaughter for trophy hunting.^[1]