Gir National Park: How are Gir lions from India superior to their African counterparts?

Just like many Indians who work long hours, the Asiatic lions of Gir National Park in Gujarat have demonstrated an impressive work ethic in their daily lives. A recent study has uncovered some interesting differences in the activity levels and patterns of these lions compared to their African relatives in Tanzania Serengeti National Park.
The hustle and bustle heroes of the jungle
Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir are proving to be the ultimate heroes of the animal kingdom. While their African relatives in Tanzania’s Serengeti spend a staggering 88% of their time resting, the hard-working Asiatic lions appear to have inherited a strong work ethic: They remain active for about 37% of their day and rest for just 63%. This striking difference was highlighted in a recent study titled “Activity of Asiatic Lions in Relation to Activity of Prey and Kleptoparasitism” conducted by researchers from Dehradun Wildlife Institute of India.

The research team found that these big cats devote a significant portion of their day to various activities, including exercise (23.3%), feeding (7.9%), patrolling (5.2%), mating (0.3%), and Hunting (0.2%). . In contrast, Serengeti lions spend only 12% of their time traveling, with 8% traveling and 4% hunting. Kausik Banerjee, one of the researchers, noted: “The study in Gir has been ongoing for almost two decades, long enough to document the entire lifespan of individual lions.”
Busy night shifts
The study also uncovered interesting nocturnal behaviors in young lions. Unlike Serengeti lions, which have a simple activity pattern that peaks between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Gir lions have a more complex schedule. They remain active from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and again from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., with peak activity reaching around 1:20 a.m.
Interestingly, there is a gender gap in these activity patterns. Male lions tend to roam larger areas, while female lions tend to stay in smaller areas. Males patrol in up to six female packs and patrol more than 23 times more often than females. Lionesses, on the other hand, are more active during the day, partly because they lack a mane to help them cope with the heat.

When it comes to hunting preferences during peak activity time between night and early morning, females typically hunt after midnight while males prefer the early morning hours.
Living together with people
One reason for this unique behavior is that young lions live very close to humans. Of the 13,000 square kilometers that make up its habitat, only 259 square kilometers of Gir National Park is free of human activity. The rest is shared with a human population density of about 700 per km², forcing these big cats to adapt their routines significantly.
The study notes that “lions are more nocturnal in areas where average annual temperatures are high, where there are few ambushes to hunt prey, or where they are pursued by humans.” Despite this challenge, the Gir -Lions learned to thrive in shared spaces by taking refuge in small patches scattered across agricultural landscapes.
Even in protected areas such as Gir National Park, human presence is significant in the form of wildlife tourism and livestock farming by local communities. This means that lion activity patterns remain similar both inside and outside protected areas. In Gir National Park, where they have better cover and comparatively less human interference, the lions hunt mainly at dawn. Outside the park, they switch to hunting at night to avoid contact with humans. Despite these changes, conflicts between humans and lions still occur, particularly in areas where human settlements are relatively new.
Cattle against wild prey
According to the study, livestock has become an important part of the diet of Gir lions due to their availability near human settlements. The lions have synchronized their hunting patterns with livestock movements. For example, lionesses often hunt livestock later in the morning after herders have corralled their animals at night.
While wild prey such as sambar and chital remain important, livestock makes up a significant portion of these big cats’ diet. The research shows that although there is a high density of livestock in Gir National Park, out of about 31 animals per square kilometer, only a small proportion is accessible to predators due to competition with other predators such as leopards.
The Asiatic lions of Gir are an example of resilience and adaptability in an environment shared with humans. Their unique work ethic, characterized by increased activity and nocturnal hunting behavior, sets them apart African lions. As they continue to thrive despite challenges posed by human interventions and environmental pressures, understanding these dynamics is critical to conservation efforts.