Gir National Park-Tiger Reserve & Wildlife Sanctuary in Sasan
Know About Gir National Park Gir National Park attracts droves of visitors to see the Asiatic lion in the wild, as it's the only place in the world where these creatures are now found. Once almost hunted to extinction and listed as critically endangered in 2000, Asiatic lion numbers have recovered well due to conservation efforts. The park's core zone, which extends for almost 260 square kilometers, was declared as a national park in 1975. However, the sanctuary was set up a decade earlier. The Gir forest area and the Asiatic lions were first "protected" by the Nawab of the princely state of Junagadh as early as the start of the 20th century, which saved the lion population from fully disappearing as a result of trophy hunting. In 1965 the national park was established. In 2005 there were only 52 Asiatic lions in the wild, leaving the population on the brink of extinction, but conservation efforts have resulted in a major population increase, with over 500 in