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Maldharis, the last human inhabitants of Gir forest, are justifiably proud of their coexistence with big cats. But these tribals may not be around in the forest for much longer
 Maldhari in GirSasan Gir Sanctuary is place of numerous human settlements called Maldhari. Maldhari are devoutly religious pastoral communities which has become an integral part of the Gir forests for over 125 years. They live in settlement called ‘nesses’ inside the forests and are engaged in the occupation of cattle rearing. The Maldhari community migrated into the Gir forest despite obvious dangers and a total lack of infrastructure, in order to maintain their way of life. When the park was declared, they |  Living with LionsThere were 845 Maldhari families with a population of 4802 individuals and 16852 domestic livestock resident in 129 nesses in the Gir forests. 592 families have already been shifted outside Gir. However the program suffered due to resource crunch and non availability of facilities at the relocation site and subsequently the relocation came to a halt. There are no maldhari settlements inside the Gir National Park. There are 24 maldhari nesses in Gir (East) where as 30 nesses in Gir (West). The |  Mladhai Family in GirThere are no maldhari settlements inside the Gir National Park. Maldhari Nesses There are 24 maldhari nesses in Gir (E) where as 30 nesses in Gir (W). The total no of people residing in the nesses are approximately 4000 and the cattle population is 19000. |
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 Maldhari Ness in GirMaldhari Nesses There are 24 maldhari nesses in Gir (E) where as 30 nesses in Gir (W). The total no of people residing in the nesses are approximately 4000 and the cattle population is 19000. There are no maldhari settlements inside the Gir National Park. |  LivestockLivestock Population and Density A total head count of livestock in each ness was carried out. Livestock were counted during evening hours when all livestock were corralled for the night. We recorded data on number and demographic structure of the livestock belonging to each family in a ness. |  Easy pray -Livestockabout 25–50 per cent of the livestock being eaten by lions. “Maldharis living here are important to the lions,” says Bhiku, a forest ranger, “The lions kill other animals too, but often only after a long chase. Livestock is easy prey.” |
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