Man arrested for killing lion cub, forest dept says accused ‘killed several dogs, snakes in past’

A 50-year-old man was arrested from Porbandar district on Friday in connection with the alleged killing of a male lion cub whose carcass was found recently, forest department officials said. They identified the man as Baavan Chavda.

Chavda is a resident of Rabari Ness, the region near Junagadh city from where the carcass of the cub, aged 7-8 months, was found on June 24. The area falls under the Dungar (South) range of the Junagadh forest department.

In a statement issued on Friday, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Junagadh) Akshay Joshi said, “During the interrogation, it has emerged that the accused possesses a cruel mindset. He admitted to having killed the lion cub. He also admitted to have killed several dogs and snakes in the past. These facts show his persistent violent and insensitive approach towards wildlife and other animals.”