Armed with a wireless set, a pair of binoculars and a lathi that discreetly sits on the side of the motorbike, they move about the Gir forest building skills that help them tell the exact pathway of a lion from the way the dry grass was parted, down to the detail of when it might have last had its meal.
A lot of this is done on foot, as the sound of the motorbike can alert the beast, thus the risk of the animal charging at them while on the job is also high. All this comes for a monthly salary that starts at Rs 15,000 which can go up to Rs 25,000, as per the tracker’s ability and experience.
Ashraf Ali Chauhan, who was in his late 20s, was one such tracker hired by the Gujarat Forest Department. He was killed on January 4 when a tranquilizing dart, meant for the lioness he was rescuing, accidentally pierced his left hand. A native of Visavadar in Junagadh district, Chauhan had been a tracker for around four years, and is survived by his wife, daughter and parents.
A Forest Department inquiry is currently underway into the incident to determine the possible lapses that could have led to his death. His colleagues say this could be the first such casualty of its kind.
The 200-odd forest trackers hired by the department form a critical link in the lion conservation story as they feed almost real-time information on the movement of a pride in the region, alerting a human settlement if a beast moved too close, or trying to save the animals from being run over by a train.
Stressing on the importance of trackers, Ram Ratan Nala, Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Range, tells The Indian Express, “Their work is to track the lions wherever they go and to report if any one of them is in any trouble. They provide us real-time information on the movements of the lions.”
Every tracker works in their assigned areas and report if anything is amiss. “It could be a lion that is limping or is unable to sit or stand properly. They inform us if the lions are going into some farms or towards the railway tracks. They also ensure that there is no man-animal conflict,” Nala says.
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According to Nala, the trackers direct the beasts away if they are moving towards a village with human habitation or towards a railway track. “Gujarat has been using trackers for lions. Their role is not only limited to lions, but all wildlife,” he adds.
As per the 2025 Census of Asiatic Lions in Gujarat, their territory extends to 35,000 sq km, and their population has increased from 674 in 2020 to 891.
One of the trackers tells The Indian Express that Chauhan’s untimely death was “very painful”. “Probably, it is for the first time in the history of Gir that a tracker has died like this. All of us are very sad for him and his family. We are doing everything to help them,” he says.
Starting at 5 am and covering 10-15 km by sundown
A typical day in a tracker’s life begins at 5 am, the first round lasting till about noon. “Generally, we move around in a group of around six on our motorbikes – two per bike – and spread out in a particular area. The Forest Department has provided us with walkie-talkies and a pair of binoculars. If we find any lion injured, we inform the department officials and they take a call on what to do next. We return home around noon. We venture into the forest again around 3 pm and return around 7 pm, covering around 10-15 km a day,” says the tracker, who has been on the job for around 10 years.
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“We also help rescue lions and leopards in cases where they have killed a human,” he says, adding that they are hired on a contract of 11 months. “This is a job that we took on due to our passion for wildlife. Like any other job, it has its challenges. When we move in the forest, we keep our eyes and ears open. We are very careful to keep a safe distance from the lions and other animals, especially leopards, who are more likely to attack humans. In many places, we keep our bikes aside and move on foot depending on the situation. We know it is a risky job and accordingly remain vigilant.”
Key skill: Understanding wildlife behaviour
The forest department advertises for the post of trackers and hires people after assessing their knowledge about lions and wildlife, and checking their fitness levels. A senior forest officer says that when hiring trackers, they focus on important criteria like the person’s knowledge and experience in dealing with wildlife, and understanding of wildlife behaviour. They also need to clear an interview.
Once selected, the trackers are trained by the Forest Department on the behaviour of lions, things to take care of, like ensuring whether they have had a meal, and dos and don’ts when a lion is aggressive. They are also trained on safety norms, like not to go too close to lions.
Nala says the trackers are hired on a contract basis by the Gujarat Lion Conservation Society, formed by the state government in 2007 under the provisions of the Society Registration Act to augment the participation of various sections of the society in the Lion Conservation Programme.
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Vital cog in conservation efforts
Jaipal Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, says, “It is through trackers that we come to know if a lion is ill or has sustained an injury in infighting. Every lion is being visually tracked and monitored.”
Highlighting the importance of the trackers, Singh says, “Generally, they are local residents. So, they get to know every minute change in the landscape. And therefore, they get to notice any suspicious movement in the landscape, including possible poaching.”
According to Singh, the state Forest Department deploys trackers on a contract basis as per the need. “Sometimes, if we find increased movement of lions in a particular area near the railway tracks, then we deploy more trackers in that region so that the accidents can be prevented.”
Devvratsinh Mori, Member, Gujarat State Board for Wildlife, hailed the importance of trackers in lion conservation. “It is because of trackers that almost every lion in the Gir landscape is under the Forest Department’s constant monitoring, which helps greatly in their conservation,” he says.
