Queen of the Jungle

Have you ever heard about a young woman who is as brave as a lion? This heroic and awe-inspiring woman is Rasila Wadher. After the untimely death of her father, her mother laboured hard to feed and educate Rasila and her younger brother in Bhanduri village of Junagadh district of Gujarat. After completing her graduation in Hindi, Rasila struggled to find a job to support her poor family.

Even though no females were selected for the post of forest guard at the time, Rasila took a risk in applying for the position. Since she was good at sports, she cleared the physical tests. In 2007, the 21-year-old was appointed as the first female forest guard at Gir National Park (Sasan Gir Forest), the last abode of the Asiatic lion.

Being a young woman, all she was given was desk work at the office. Rasila decided to prove that women were no less than men. “I decided that being a woman, I needed to work like a man. And if I work like a man, no one will doubt me.” Her biggest fear was not of fierce animals, but of being removed from the team because of being the only female.

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