Film-maker
Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel has captured the incredible
tolerance of the people to big cats in a documentary India’s Wandering
Lions.
The filmmaker took three years to capture on his camera, and on his notepad, this unique bond between humans and beasts.
The
programme will be aired on July 6 at 9pm. When asked as to why he chose
to document the Gir lion sanctuary, he told Mail Today: “We wanted to
bring to audiences this incredible story of lions and people living
together and incredibly, the lions seem to be thriving in this landscape
— a mix of forest, scrub patches, fields and farms.”
Disovery Channel’s India’s Wandering
Lions captures the tolerance of the people to the big cats living in
Gujarat’s Gir lion sanctuary
There are thousands who swear by the
lion in the Saurashtra region, where the king has by now acquired a
territory of 20,000 square km
He
added: “The central theme of the programme shows how people and lions
are living in close proximity with each other. For locals, lions are
part of their lives and they are happy to have them around.”
Praveen’s
engagement with the lions and the people who co-exist with them gives a
different perspective than what many environmentalists argue.
He
said: “To most people if they see a wild animal living amongst people,
they view it as conflict. However, the lions seem to be doing fine and
the people also accept the animals in their midst. The people are proud to have lions in their state and most know that the big cats are not going to attack unless provoked.
Praveen’s engagement with the lions
and the people who co-exist with them gives a different perspective than
what many environmentalists argue
"Many
farmers we spoke to said they don’t mind the lions in their fields or
mango orchards as that ensures deer and other herbivores cannot damage
the crops.”
As
regards conservation efforts, he said: “As per the latest census, there
are 500 Asiatic lions in Gujarat, with quite a large number far from
the Gir forests. "The
Asiatic lion population has shown a consistent increase over many years
and the credit for this must go to the forest department,
conservationists, biologists and locals who are tolerant to the presence
of lions.”
He
is not the only one. There are thousands who swear by the lion in the
Saurashtra region, where the king has by now acquired a territory of
20,000 mind-boggling square km.
This
reporter learnt it while riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by a
sturdy forest guard trundling through the dusty Gir forests. It
could be a bone-breaking ride for many but a daily grind for Ghulam
Mehmood. On the return journey with the only light beaming from his
two-wheeler, Ghulam suddenly stood up on his motorbike foot rest that
disbalanced the vehicle to scream: “Dekho sir, sher, dekhiye dekhiye.”
A
pride of lions with seven members was crossing the road. For someone
who hasn’t seen the lion beyond the confines of a zoo, it was the
experience of a lifetime. But what caught one’s eyes was Ghulam’s
excitement on seeing something he sees almost every day.
There
was a sudden swagger in his body that shook the bike and would have
thrown his pillion rider to the ground had he not held on strongly.
Ghulam’s
passion is not as much for his daily job that gives him a few hundred
rupees but his unflinching love for the wild cat. But he dislikes the
wild cat expression. For him, it is sher, the king of his region and his
life.
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