On Tuesday, a lion was found dead in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. According to the forest officers, a ten-year-old lion was found dead near the Gadhada Pir Dargah, which comes under the Mahuva range of the Shetrunji wildlife division.
Chief Conservator of forests of Junagadh wildlife circle Dushyant Vasavada informed the media that the matter came to light when patrolling forest guard of Gujarda beat in Mota Khutvada-1 round in Mahuva range was told that a carcass of a lion was lying near the Gadhada Pir Dargah Shrine. The body was sent to a post-mortem at Babarkot Animal Care Center.
Deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of the Shetrunji wildlife division Nisha Raj told reporters,” The carcass was found in a small creek along the coast. The post-mortem revealed internal injuries to the animal even though there were no signs of any outer injury. Viscera samples of the lion have been sent for forensic analysis to ascertain the cause of its death.”
Important to note that outside Africa, Gujarat’s Gir has a sizable population of wild lions. They roam around Gir forest and other protected areas spread across Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Junagadh districts in Gujarat. Gujarat Government data of 2020 shows as many as 674 lions in Gujarat.
