This is the story of an Indian big cat that's thriving, unlike the tiger. Yet few people know it exists. Asiatic lions are completely different from African lions in both appearance and behavior. These lions once roamed Europe - they are the lions of Ancient Greece and Rome, the lions in The Bible. Their refuge is the beautiful Gir forest in Gujarat, and in the last hundred years their numbers have grown from just twenty to over three hundred. They are now spreading out beyond the protection of the National Park - reclaiming lost territory and even colonizing surprising new habitats. It's a rare conservation success story but one that brings new challenges to lions, naturalists, forestry staff and the surrounding human populations.—BBC
In many people's minds, the tiger is an Indian icon. However, there is another big cat, which few people know exists which is the real symbol of India. The Asiatic lion. Once roaming from as far as Greece and Northern Africa, the lion's population was brought to such low numbers, it nearly was lost for good, but now it is thriving. This episode documents their fall and rise.—Tom Daly
