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Gujarat: Asiatic lion enters farmer’s home near Amreli, forest department helps it out through backdoor

There were around 15 family members in the house while at least 20 buffaloes and cattle were in the shed when the lion entered the farmer’s house.

The only wild population of Asiatic lions in the world is surviving in Gir forest and other protected areas spread across Amreli, Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts in Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

Dramatic scenes were witnessed in Patla village of Amreli district in Gujarat when an Asiatic lion entered a farmer’s house killing a buffalo calf and later sought refuge in a room filled with groundnut on Sunday night. Forest department had to break into the house through a rear door and provided a safe escape to the animal, as villagers looked on in awe and terror.

There were around 15 family members in the house while at least 20 buffaloes and cattle were in the shed when the lion entered the farmer’s house.

Forest officers of Gir (east) forest division said they received an alert around 9:30 pm on Sunday that a lion had jumped over the compound wall of a residence of one Jilubhai Vala, a farmer of Patla village on the border of Gir forest.

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“After jumping into the residence of Vala of village Patla in Tulsishyam range of Gir (east) forest division, the lion killed a buffalo calf. Staff, including deputy conservator of forests of Gir (east), P Purushothama, rushed to the spot and planned a rescue operation,” Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests of Junagadh wildlife circle, said.

Once on the brink of extinction, Asiatic lions are now restricted to an area of around 3,000 square kilometres in Saurashtra region.

Forest officials said as the lion preyed on the buffalo calf in the front yard of Vala’s residence, its movement alerted the sleeping farmer and his family. “As they raised an alarm, the lion entered a room of the house, doors of which were open. The animal must have thought it was an escape route. But after the lion went inside the room, which the family was using as store-room and which was filled with groundnut, the farmer locked its doors from outside,” a forest officer said.

Festive offer

Patla village is on the border of Gir forest, the last abode of Asiatic lions in the world. The village falls in the Tulshishyam range of Gir (east) forest division and forest officers say that movement of lions remains high in this village.

“Lions often visit our village at night. We had been spotting them for the last six days. Just three days ago, they had killed an ox just outside Jilubhai’s home,” said Unad Vala, cousin brother of Jilubhai Vala, to The Indian Express.

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Following the alarm, villagers gathered outside Vala’s residence even as forest department officers prepared plans to secure a safe passage for the lion.

“There was a backdoor to the store-room it was locked from inside. After initial hesitation, the farmer agreed to allow us to break the backdoor from outside. We arranged our vehicles on either side of the back door and also formed a human chain to ensure that the animal does not enter any other house. As soon as we broke the back door open, the lion disappeared in the nearby bushes,” the officer further said.

“We have initiated the process to pay compensation to the farmer for the loss of buffalo calf. Nobody was injured in the incident nor did the rescue team require to use tranquiliser darts,” the forest officer added.

The only wild population of Asiatic lions in the world is surviving in Gir forest and other protected areas spread across Amreli, Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts in Saurashtra region of Gujarat. A lion population estimation exercise in 2015 had pegged the population of this endangered species at 523. Out those 523 lions, 174 were found to be living in forest areas of Amreli district alone.

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Once on the brink of extinction, Asiatic lions are now restricted to an area of around 3,000 square kilometres in Saurashtra region. Thanks to conservation efforts of the Gujarat forest department, the population of Asiatic lions has been growing continuously for the last four decades.

First uploaded on: 12-11-2018 at 16:07 IST
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