Three held for harassing lion in Gujarat

As per the 2020 census, there are 674 lions in the state, a 29 per cent rise in its population compared to the 2015 census.The state has a total of 206 lions, 309 lionesses, 130 cubs and 29 other unidentified big cats.


PTI | Amreli | Updated: 12-01-2023 08:53 IST | Created: 12-01-2023 08:53 IST
Three held for harassing lion in Gujarat
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Police have arrested three persons for allegedly harassing a lion by chasing the wild animal away from its prey in Gujarat's Amreli district, a forest department official said.

The three persons, two of them hailing from outside Gujarat, were apprehended on Wednesday after a video of the incident, which they shot on Tuesday and shared on the Internet, went viral on social media platforms, a release by the Shetrunji Wildlife Division of the state forest department said.

In the video, some persons sitting on an excavator can be seen chasing a lion in a field. During investigation, it was found the video was shot at Lunsapur village in Jafrabad taluka of Amreli district on Tuesday.

The investigation by the forest department also revealed the trio not only harassed the lion by chasing it, but also drove the wild cat away from its prey, the release said.

Lion is a schedule-1 animal under the Wildlife Protection Act and such acts are prohibited by law, the forest department said.

Following a probe into the incident, the forest department arrested Manoj Vansh (30), a resident of Gir Somnath district, Rana Kalita (30), a native of Assam, while the third accused is aged 18 and hails from Uttar Pradesh.

They were booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. Since the magistrate's court at Jafrabad rejected their bail upon their production on Wednesday, the trio was sent to jail, the release said.

The incident took place days after three persons from Rajasthan were arrested for allegedly harassing lions by chasing them on their vehicles and shooting videos using mobile phones in the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Junagadh district of Gujarat.

The sanctuary is spread over Junagadh and Amreli districts in the Saurashtra region. In 2021, the forest department had registered an FIR against 12 persons after a viral video showed them gathered to watch an "illegal show", in which a lion killed and feasted on a cattle tied to a pole at a village in Gir forest.

Gujarat is the only abode of Asiatic lions. As per the 2020 census, there are 674 lions in the state, a 29 per cent rise in its population compared to the 2015 census.

The state has a total of 206 lions, 309 lionesses, 130 cubs and 29 other unidentified big cats.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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