<P> In 1841, Austen Henry Layard accompanied hunters in Khuzestan, Iran, and sighted a lion which "had done much damage in the plain of Ram Hormuz," before one of his companions killed it . He described it as being "unusually large and of very dark brown colour", with some parts of its body being almost black . </P> <P> In 1935, a British Admiral claimed to have sighted a maneless lion feeding on a goat near Quetta . He wrote "It was a large lion, very stocky, light tawny in colour, and I may say that no one of us three had the slightest doubt of what we had seen until, on our arrival at Quetta, many officers expressed doubts as to its identity, or to the possibility of there being a lion in the district ." </P> <P> In the Gir Forest, an area of 1,412.1 km (545.2 sq mi) was declared as a sanctuary for Asiatic lion conservation in 1965 . This sanctuary and the surrounding areas in Saurashtra, Western India, are the only wild habitats supporting the Asiatic lion . After 1965, a national park with an area of 258.71 km (99.89 sq mi) was established where human activity is not allowed . In the surrounding sanctuary only Maldharis have the right to take their livestock for grazing . </P> <P> Lions inhabit remnant forest habitats in the two hill systems of Gir and Girnar that comprise Gujarat's largest tracts of dry deciduous forest, thorny forest and savanna, and provide valuable habitat for a diverse flora and fauna . Five protected areas currently exist to protect the Asiatic lion: Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary, and Girnar Sanctuary . The first three protected areas form the Gir Conservation Area, a 1,452 km (561 sq mi) forest block that represents the core habitat of the Asiatic lions . The other two sanctuaries, Mitiyala and Girnar, protect satellite areas within dispersal distance of the Gir Conservation Area . An additional sanctuary is being established in the nearby Barda Wildlife Sanctuary to serve as an alternative home for Gir lions . The drier eastern part is vegetated with acacia thorn savanna and receives about 650 mm (26 in) annual rainfall; rainfall in the west is higher at about 1,000 mm (39 in) per year . </P>

What is the habitat of the asiatic lion
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