Gujarat: Fisherman killed by lions in Bhavnagar village, operation on to cage big cats

“According to statement of his elder brother Gidhabhai, Rama had left their home in the village at around 7.30 pm on Wednesday to purchase mava (mixture of tobacco, betel nuts and lime) and did not return. His body was found near the seacoast in the village this morning. The body was partially eaten by some wild animals and on the basis of pug-marks at the spot, forest department has concluded that he was killed by lions,” Sarjak Barot, police inspector of Mahuva, told The Indian Express.

Sandeep Kumar, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of Bhavnagar, confirmed that the fisherman was indeed killed by the big cats but added that he had been warned by forest staff against going near the lions. “Lion presence was registered in Akhtariya village on Wednesday. After he found Rama wandering in the area at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, our wildlife tracker Anand warned him not to venture in that area as, he told the fisherman, there were lions there. But Rama seeming drunk strayed in the area again. We have noticed pug marks of a lioness and a sub-adult lion, confirming he was killed by the big cats,” Kumar said.

The Mahuva police inspector said that the victim’s body has been sent to Sir Takhtasinhji General Hospital in Bhavnagar for conducting an autopsy. “We have registered a case of accidental death. His body has been sent to Bhavnagar for post-mortem. We will be able to tell if the man was drunk or not once the post-mortem report is available,” he said.

The DCF said that Akhtariya village had been registering movement of Asiatic lions for many years but this was the first incident of direct man-animal conflict.

The DCF said an operation was on to cage the pride. “Soon after the incident came to light, our staff tracked the pride consisting of a lioness, a sub-adult male and a one-year-old cub. We have set up a ring-cage and a veterinarian is also a part of the rescue team. Once the animals are caged, we shall analyse samples of their scat to ascertain if they had indeed eaten the man,” Kumar said.

The incident comes two weeks after two male lions attacked and killed a caretaker and injured two others in Gir (west) forest division on November 29. An inquiry is underway to ascertain why the zoo-bred lions, which had always lived in captivity, behaved so aggressively.

The DCF said if it was established that the pride had eaten the man, they would be rehabilitated. “We shall not release them in the same area if it turns out that they had indeed eaten the man and the chief widlife warden of the state will decide how to rehabilitate them,” Kumar said.