Film-maker Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel took three years to
capture on his camera, and on his notepad, this unique bond between
humans and beasts.
Mail Today Bureau
New Delhi, July 6, 2015 | UPDATED 10:02 IST
Film-maker Praveen Singh of Discovery Channel has captured
the incredible tolerance of the people to the 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 9 pm. 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." 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 spinoff 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. 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 bonebreaking ride for many but a daily grind for Ghulam Mehmood. On
the return journey with the only light beaming from his twowheeler,
Ghulam suddenly stood up on his mobike 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.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/praveen-singh-indias-wandering-lions-gir-gujrat/1/449342.html
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