A sub-adult male lion was spotted 5km from the Velavadar Blackbuck National Park in Bhavnagar district last week.
The park is located at a distance of approximately 140km from Ahmedabad city, off the Ahmedabad-Dhandhuka-Bhavnagar highway.
Forest officials believe this particular male lion to be a part of a group of three that were spotted 75-100km away from Amreli . As per reports, forest staff had seen the lion trio, but could later trace only two. Officials from the Gandhinagar forest department said that the radio-collared lion has made his home in the area adjacent to the Velavadar park. Officials in Sasan and Gandhinagar are observing the movement of the lion.
“We do not want him to move towards Ahmedabad district. If he does, we will have to distract him back to the area,” a forest official told Vibes of India.
“It appears that the King of the Jungle is looking to expand his domain and moving closer to Ahmedabad city. He is probably looking for mates and is attempting to mark his own territory,” the official added.
Another reason for the lion’s move to the Velavadar area could be easy prey: the national park is famous for its robust population of blackbuck deer.
Lion sightings have increased in non-sanctuary areas over the past couple of years. Sightings were recorded in Surendranagar and Gondal in April 2020 and on the outskirts of Rajkot in December 2020 and in Botad in 2021.
In May 2020, Poornima Avalokan had recorded 674 lions in Gujarat, showing an increase of 28.87%, compared to the 2015 figure of 523.
Read Also: Gujarat: Ahmedabad Approves 25 Applications For Gender Reassignment In Last Two Years
