TNN | Jan 7, 2016, 02.28 PM IST
Pune: Darshanaben Kagada is one among eight siblings from a traditional
Rajput family. The prospect that she would be a forester at Gujarat's
Gir sanctuary, and become a part of the Lion Queens of India, probably
never struck her kin.
Kagada, along with Kiran Pithiya, and
their leader, Rasilaben Wadher, are a team of four foresters and guards
at the world's last open wildlife refuge for Asiatic lions. They have
been working in the Gir forests ever since the state government allowed
women forest guards in 2007.
Recently, their work to save one
of the most endangered species on the planet has grabbed the attention
in the western media, and their lives in the forests were telecast by a
popular nature channel. Kagada and her two colleagues are in Pune to
receive the Kirloskar Vasundhara Satkar (felicitation) at the 10th
edition of Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival on Thursday.
"All my siblings are girls. They were married at a young age because
that is the outlook my father and most families in my community have. I
am probably one of the very few, or maybe the only one doing such a
job," she told TOI on Wednesday.
The journey so far has not
been smooth. "There are challenges_inclement weather and lions to be
tracked all the time, especially when cubs are born. The area is huge
and we have to travel great lengths to ensure the safety of all the
animals, not just lions. But it is the satisfaction that we are working
with nature and working hard to preserve it for all who come to see the
lions," Kagada added.
Tracking has helped keep the Asiatic
lion's population healthy. For a species which numbered in double digits
in the 1990s, the 2015 lion count stood at around 523.
"The
tracking process is thorough. It is through pug marks which can be
spotted by trained eyes in and around the water sources because they
will come every day. Spotting and photographing lions is also a method
while we are in a car or on motorcycle patrols," Pithiya added.
They even have a rapport with the animals, particularly the lions, by
noticing their pattern of behaviour, which helps of they turn against
the people assigned to protect tem.
"Lionesses are very protective of cubs. Sometimes, we are compelled to
rescue the cubs and lions separated from their pack. They can attack us
when we check the cubs' conditions. A stick and the motorcycle mostly do
the trick, but depending on the lion's size, a tranquilizer is used,"
Kagada said.
The job sounds like a life of adventure, but the women admit their
families think otherwise. "My husband is also a forest guard, and is
supportive. I once brought my mother from my village to look at the
lions. When she saw what I did, she demanded that I quit ," Pithiya
said.
And how long are they willing to work in wilderness ? "As long as our love for nature remains," Kagada said with a laugh.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Lion-Queens-make-Gir-sanctuary-a-roaring-success/articleshow/50481321.cms
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