Ram and Shyam

Ram and Shyam were two brothers of the Gir forest in Gujarat, western India, the only place where Asiatic lions still live in the wild, and they were the most famous pair of lions in Gir. Forest staff gave them the popular Indian names Ram and Shyam, which are also the title of a hit Bollywood film.

Like most Asiatic lions, Gir males usually team up with a brother to defend a territory. Together Ram and Shyam held theirs for many years and fathered many cubs; at one point, a former forest officer told the BBC, their pride had about two dozen. Ram was the forest department’s most photographed lion.

Ram died of old age in November 2016, at about 15, and was cremated by forest officials. Shyam, also old, was left alone, and officials expected younger males to take the territory soon. In later years another Gir pair, Jay and Veeru, named after the heroes of the film Sholay, became as famous; they died of injuries from territorial fights in June and July 2025.