3 lions spotted crossing Mount Girnar staircase in Gujarat where pilgrim boy was killed
Gujarat Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia urged pilgrims to avoid late-night and early-morning treks and refrain from discarding food items on the staircase.
Barely three weeks after an 11-year-old boy was dragged away and killed by a lion during a pilgrimage trek on Mount Girnar in Gujarat’s Junagadh, three lions were spotted in the same area around 3 am Thursday. Forest department officials closely monitored the lions to ensure the animals were not disturbed while guiding them safely back toward their natural habitat without compromising the safety of pilgrims.
The encounter was captured in a 19-second video shared on social media by Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia, accompanied by a message: “Wildlife conservation and public safety are both our highest priorities.”
He said the lions were spotted near the 50th step of the Girnar staircase, where the lion took the boy on July 11. “The forest department is fully committed to maintaining a balance between wildlife conservation and human safety. The rich biodiversity of Gir and Girnar is our pride, and its preservation is our collective responsibility,” he added.
વન્યજીવ સંરક્ષણ અને જનસુરક્ષા બંને અમારી સર્વોચ્ચ પ્રાથમિકતા છે 🦁
ગત રાત્રે આશરે 3:00 વાગ્યે, ગિરનાર નવી સીડીના આશરે 50માં પગથિયા નજીક 3 નર એશિયાટિક સિંહોની હાજરી નોંધાઈ હતી.
જૂનાગઢ વન વિભાગ ટીમે સિંહોની હિલચાલ પર સતત નજર રાખીને એ સુનિશ્ચિત કર્યું હતું કે તેમને કોઈપણ પ્રકારની… pic.twitter.com/QuJ6kydK6J
The minister urged pilgrims visiting Mount Girnar to adhere to safety guidelines: Do not panic, disturb, or provoke wild animals if spotted, immediately report sightings of lions or other wildlife to the nearest forest official or tracker team and follow their instructions, avoid late-night and early-morning treks, and refrain from discarding food items on the staircase, as this attracts herbivores, which in turn draws predators to the area.
Measures to boost safety
The sighting comes on the heels of a July 11 incident in which an 11-year-old boy from the Kheda district was dragged away by a lion just 50 steps into his trek up Mount Girnar. His partial remains were recovered later.
The July 11 attack was the first such fatal incident involving a pilgrim along the famous temple staircase, amid a broader surge in human-lion conflicts across Gujarat’s Asiatic lion landscape since June. The victim, identified as Mayur Chauhan, was from Modaj village in Kheda district.
Eyewitnesses and relatives had said the family had climbed only about 50 steps from the main entrance when the lion emerged from the darkness and attacked the child from behind, grabbing him by the arm and taking him away to the forest.
Parimal A Dabhi works with The Indian Express as Chief of Bureau, focusing on the state of Gujarat. Leveraging his seniority and access, Dabhi is recognized for his reporting on the complex interplay of law, politics, social justice, and governance within the region.
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