Four months of monsoon period are considered best for breeding of wild animals and birds, deputy conservator of Gir forest, Sudeep Kumar said today.
The closure is made with a view to provide privacy to animals including lions, leopards and other species and birds like peacocks, who are present in a large number in the park, he said.
"During closure period, forest department supervises the conservation efforts and prevents any type of disturbance to be caused by tourists," Kumar said.
With a total area of 1,412 sq km, Gir forest houses 411 lions, as per census of lions conducted in April 2010, he said.
A lioness has cubs about every two years and has a gestation period of 105-112 days, he added.
