Junagadh, April 01: An Asiatic Lion and a
cub have been found dead in the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary here.
The grown-up lion was found dead near Raval River,
while the cub's body was found at a nearby cluster of human
habitat within the sanctuary yesterday.
"Prima facie the deaths appear to be due to natural
causes. The big lion was found dead with several injury marks
that appear to be the outcome of a fight with another beast.
The cub may have died due to starvation," Bharat Pathak, a
senior forest official and in-charge of the world famous
sanctuary, told a news agency.
He said all the body parts of the two beasts were
intact so it did not appear to be a case of poaching.
"However, a forensic team has been called to ascertain
the exact cause of death," the official said.
The Gir Sanctuary, the only abode left of the majestic
Asiatic lion in world, has been in news since last few days
after six of the beasts were found poached and their body
parts stolen from within the 1,400 sqkm protected area.
Rattled by the poaching, the government has increased
security inside the sanctuary and has also stepped up
vigilance of all those who enter and exit the sanctuary.
A probe by the CID (Crime) is already underway to
track the culprits behind the two recent poaching incidents.
The state forest ministry has also told the
investigating agency and forest department to submit a
detailed report within five days and recommend measures needed
to curb poaching.
The mutilated carcasses of two male lions and a cub
were found scattered near the Babariya range of West Gir on
March 30 and several of their body parts, including skull and
claws, were missing.
Earlier in March, the carcasses of two lionesses and a
cub were found in similar conditions near the Banbariya range.
Survival of the endangered Asiatic Lion has been a
tricky issue for long but there was some respite when a
Gujarat Government survey in 2005 stated that there were 359
of them left in the Gir Sanctuary.
Since then some of them have died in floods and due to
natural causes while some fell into open wells that are within
the sanctuary, both accidentally and also due to conflict with
locals at times.
CID officials are tightlipped about the probe but
suspect the role of an organised gang behind the poaching and
are also looking into possible role of locals.
Bureau Report