Ecological information on a keystone species of Indian forests the chital (Axis axis) is extremely scarce. The current study aims to determine the food habits, habitat preference, demographic structure, density, and activity patterns of chital in Gir. A primary concern for the management of wild ungulate populations is the potential for competition with domestic livestock. We intend to study this aspect by understanding the activity patterns, food habits, and foraging circuits of livestock from Maldhari nesses within Gir east sanctuary area.

Density of chital was estimated by line transects (total effort 246.8 km), in Gir east (113 km), west (45 km) and central (88.8 km). The density of chital in Gir was estimated to be 21.8 (95 % CI 16.2 to 29.5) per km2. The ecological density of chital in different zones was: east 18.9 (10.3 to 34.7), central 21.5 (13.5 to 34.1) and west 38.8 (25.3 to 59.5) per km2. Gir east had the largest group sizes  of 6.65 (95% CI, 4.9 to 9.0), followed by central, 5.0 (3.9 to 6.3), and Gir west 4.96 (3.9 to 6.3).  Body condition scores were highest for Gir east while condition scores for Gir west and central were similar. Since livestock shared chital habitat in Gir east and west (sanctuary areas) while central Gir was devoid of livestock (National Park area), the above analysis suggests that chital populations respond primarily to habitat and forage availability and not to livestock presence.