Gujarat: Lion discovered dead in Bhavnagar, cause of death being investigated

A lion was discovered dead late Tuesday evening in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, with forest department officers saying they were trying to figure out what caused the big cat's death.

The lion, estimated to be between five and ten years old, was discovered dead near the Gadhada Pir Dargah, about 70 feet from the seacoast in Gadhada village, Shetrunji wildlife division, on Tuesday evening, according to Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests (CCF) of Junagadh wildlife circle.

According to Vasavada, the incident came to light when a Gujarda forest ranger patrolling the Mota Khutvada-1 round in Mahuva range was informed that a lion carcass was lying near the temple. .

"He informed RFO, Mahuva (and) body was sent to Babarkot Animal Care Centre for post-mortem," added the official.

Junagadh wildlife circle includes the Shetrunji wildlife division.

"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," said Nisha Raj, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of the Shetrunji wildlife division.

Junagadh wildlife circle includes the Shetrunji wildlife division.

Raj went on to say that the case did not appear to be one of male lions fighting for territorial control.

Gir lions are the world's only wild lion population outside of Africa. They roam freely in the Gir forest and other protected regions in Gujarat's Saurashtra region, including Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar districts. The Gujarat government estimates that there would be 674 lions in the state by 2020, with majority of them settling in revenue regions along the seacoast of Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar districts.