Three Asiatic lions run over by goods train in Gujarat

Three Asiatic lions were killed after being run over by a goods train near Gir in Amreli district on Monday night. The incident is the latest in a series of cases causing unnatural death of lions in recent months.

According to officials, the incident took place near Borala village of Amreli's Savarkundla district around midnight when a pride of six lions, walking along the railway tracks, was hit by a goods train going from Botad to Pipavav. The three carcasses were found on the tracks on Tuesday morning.

"The goods train hit three of the six lions around 12:45 am. The incident led to death of two lions and one lioness," DT Vasavada, chief conservator of forests, Junagadh wildlife circle, said.

All the three dead lions were around two years old, he said.

Vasavada said that an enquiry has been ordered into the incident.

"We will investigate if the train was moving at a high speed, which could have led to the accident. We will also probe if forest staff or the lion trackers were at fault," Vasavada said, adding that strict action would be taken against the guilty.

With this incident, the number of lion deaths in and around Gir has crossed 30 since September. Twenty three lions had died in just a couple of weeks in September, many of them due to Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) infection, some in territorial fights, and the remaining because of other causes. Stunned by the series of deaths, the state government had sanctioned Rs 351 crore to intensify conservation activities and tracking of lions.

The 2015 Census had estimated the number of Asiatic Lions in the state at 523. The number was pegged at 650 in another study in 2017.

On an average, around 40 to 50 lion deaths are reported in and around Gir each year, most of them because of natural causes. Between August 2016 and July 2018, as many as 97 lions and 70 lion cubs were reported dead, the state government had said in the Assembly earlier. Of these, 14 lions and as many lion cubs had died because of unnatural causes, which included drowning, being run over by trains, and poisoning among others. However, more lions have died due to unnatural causes in the past few months itself.

Dismal Numbers

• Between August 2016 and July 2018, as many as 97 lions and 70 lion cubs were reported dead
• 14 lions and as many lion cubs had died because of unnatural causes like drowning and being run over by trains