On the trail of the Asiatic lion

July 02, 2013 07:12 pm | Updated 07:12 pm IST

Summer vacations are probably the happiest time in a child's life. It also gives an opportunity to visit new places. Travelling is a fun, enjoyable and amazing experience.

This summer I, along with my family, went to Gir National Park in Gujarat, the home of Asiatic lions. There we saw spotted deer, langurs, porcupines and other animals. An official at the ticket office told us that there are about 300 lions and leopards in Gir, making it one of the major big cat concentrations in India. He also told me that there are other animals such as Sambar and chital, blue bull or the nilgai, chousingha, world's only four-horned antelope, chinkara or the Indian gazelle and wild boar thrive in Gir. Jackal, striped hyena, jungle cat, rusty-spotted cat are also common.

Gir has a large population of marsh crocodile, which is among the 40 species of reptiles and amphibians recorded in the sanctuary. After having a chat with the official, we moved ahead. Inside the forest, I saw monkeys and leopards. But unfortunately, we were not able to see a single lion! Still I enjoyed the trip. Gir is surely the jewel of Gujarat's ecological resources.

V. Hari Krishnan, X, ONGC Public School, Puducherry

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.