India’s New World

Against a mosaic backdrop of teak forest, farmland and bustling villages this film explores the extraordinary story of Asia’s last lions living in 21st century India and their recovery from near extinction. A century ago, a mere 20 individuals remained. Afforded sanctuary in the form of Gir Forest National Park, numbers of these critically endangered big cats rose slowly and they now number over 400. But the lions have outgrown their sanctuary and have spilled out into the surrounding countryside and villages. Here, a unique relationship has developed between the large predators and the people, revealing a story of survival and tolerance. For over 20 years, the Manas National Park was the unwelcome host for India’s Bodo rebellion. As conflict raged, rebels swept over the park ravaging the landscape and poaching wildlife for food and money. The results were catastrophic — some animal populations halved while others were eradicated from the park altogether. In this uplifting story we discover how some of the rebel fighters gave up their weapons of war and instead turned their attention to safeguarding the park and its inhabitants.