Really WILD Offroading!

OT

Priyank, there is no need to be near,

with things like these around.

Indeed, these can even click what is inside the den as well !

Will they scare such big wild animals too? ;)

just kidding but the pics are really really good. I was thinking about the people inside the car with bad tyres.

1. These pics need not be taken from out in the open. The photographers would have been in similar vehicles parked next to the unfortunate vehicle.
2. In India, it is really very rare for this thing to happen. for starters, there are very few Lions left (whatever last are there, are next to our Sandesh Kanchan's place - Gir National Park).

Sandesh, is it easy to see them if one visits the park, or it is very very rare, like tigers in Corbett national park?

very nice pics

I haven't been to the park ever since our "bikes running out of petrol" fiasco, which was a good 4-5 years ago. Entry into the park was quite easy until a few months ago. But a couple of poaching incidents and a couple of buffoons(who were teasing lions in the jungle) getting mauled to death by a lion, have made entry into the apark difficult.

From what I heard, they don't let private vehicles into the park, you can only go in only forest dept  vehicles and a guard will accompany you. But if you have the moolah & contacts, they will let private vehicles in. My brother & his friend visited the park in his Scorpio, but a guard accompanied them in the park. He took a few snaps of a lion in the open, he even manged to shoot a small video from close up. But that being said, you have to be really lucky to spot a lion.

There are many illegal entries into the park. But if you are caught, be ready to pay a hefty "ghoos" or spend some time in jail.

ALso, these lions openly roam and wander into neighbouring villages aaround Talala/Gir. There is this Ayurvedic doctor whom we visit for my mom's  back treatment. He lives in a village not for away from the Park. He says lions roaming in the voillage is quite a common thing and no one is scared of it. He says just let them go on their own and do not distrb it and it will do nothing. Throw stones or try to disturb it and you are asking for trouble.

In fact, during a visit to to the village, we had a chance to see a couple of lions, one on each side of a kachcha road.  One had just killed a Nilgai and was feasting on it while the other was on the other side, lazily rolling around. It was a sight to see - lions in their natural habitat, having the freedom to be themselves. Believe me, once you see them in the wild, you really would not like to see them in cages in a zoo. The lion's roar is spine chilling, it can be heard for miles. We however were told to scoot as forest officials were coming and a crowd of villagers were gathering at the spot.a

Some of the resorts around the Park conduct these "lion shows" and charge 5,000 to 10,000 for such shows. Never saw it but I was told they take you to places where lions frequent and  that they hand feed the lions. The villagers claim it is all stage managed and its not fun.

Once, one such lion personally came down to meet me here in Bhavnagar.  Lol.

Jokes apart, 2-3 of years back one lion from Sasan was actually found here in Bhavnagar - Victoria Park.  The park, though in the outskirts, has many visitors - locals visit especially for morning/evening walks.  The lion was also seen in a few adjacent area to the Park - quite crowded (Diamond market / RTO / Railway Colony).  It was a chaos.  It took 2-3 days for the Forest Deptt. to seize the lion.  People were scared to visit the park for quite some time, thereafter.

Sasan is approx. 225 kms from Bhavnagar (by road).  The lion must have been an athlete.  Nice offroading activity for the lion

Now, as the topic suggests, that's what  I would call "Really WILD Offroading" . LOL

LOL LOL. The ever resourceful Indian !

Not sure if i can post these FWD pics here. Few more Wild Offroading!!!