Jun 4, 2020 · It’s 3 am and an Asiatic lion in Gujarat’s Gir National Park drags away a sheep from the herd of Kishan Barhath, a member of the Maldhari community scattered through the national park in small clusters of families.

Feb 26, 2010 · This documentary film Lion and the Lion heart is the story of a brave hearted tribe called Maldharis, dwelling in the middle of Gir Forest of Gujarat, the only habitat of Asiatic Lions.

We examine the mechanisms permitting the coexistence of Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) and pastoral communities (Maldhari s) in the Gir forests, India. We monitored six Maldhari settlements between 2005 and 2007 to quantify seasonal livestock holding, density and losses due to predation and other causes.

The Maldhari tribesmen have had to face eviction threats and accusations by government authorities of endangering the lions, just for living in the land of their forefathers [4].

Presently, Maldhari and lions coexist in a win-win state. Lions get a considerable part of their food from Maldhari livestock and Maldharis profit substantially by free access to forest resources. A study found that the absence of Maldharis and their livestock would negatively impact the lion population in Gir.

Oct 28, 2020 · Maldharis, a traditional pastoral people found in and around the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, might end up being uprooted from their homes, if the Project Lion proposal takes shape, a Down To Earth (DTE) investigation has shown.

In 1973, the Gir Lion Project relocated almost 600 resident Maldhari families and their livestock and banished hundreds of thousands of cattle that seasonally grazed in Gir.

Aug 26, 2014 · AHMEDABAD: The secret why lions have been flourishing in Gir has finally been decoded. Wildlife experts have found that it is the generosity of maldharis, who do not grudge the big cats preying on their cattle, deserve to be given credit for the steady growth in population of the Asiatic lions.

Feb 2, 2022 · The Maldharis revere the lion as Lord Narsimha, a fierce avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who incarnated as part lion and part man to destroy evil. The King of the Jungle is also …

Jun 1, 2011 · Maldharis do not grudge the lions taking their livestock. According to traditional belief, the lion owns the jungle—of which they are but inhabitants. So when a lion kills their livestock, they consider it a sort of rent paid for their occupation of jungle space.