Three lions camping near Rajkot relocated to Gir

RAJKOT: Three male sub-adult lions that have been camping near Rajkot city were caged on Wednesday and taken back to Gir forest following protest by locals living in the vicinity. The lions have been stationed near the Aji Dam area and campaigned for over 40 days before they were captured by a team of foresters from Sasan.
The lions had made a revenue area near Aji dam and Bhayasar vidi (grassland) about 20 km from the city.The pride had come from Babra in Amreli district.
The lions were mostly seen in Bhayasar vidi, besides being occasionally sighted at Halenda, Tramba, Kalipat, Kotda Sangani and other nearby areas.
Initially, the forest department said that the pride consisted of one female and two male sub-adults moving around Aji dam, but on Wednesday they confirmed that all the three lions were male sub-adults.
The forest officials were initially of the view that they won’t disturb the lion’s movements and only keep watch on their movements. However, the officials had to give in against pressure from locals and politicians who had demanded that the lions be relocated to Gir forest area.
According to sources, the forest officials in Rajkot and Junagdh were surprised when they received orders of shifting the lions to Gir from Gandhinagar.
Chief conservator of forest (wildlife circle) Junagadh D T Vasavda said, “Following public protest, it was decided to take these lions back to the place from where they came from. They were very close to urban areas and congested human habitation. There were chances of animal-human conflict and because of that it was decided to rescue them.”
According to the forest officials, the lions were venturing into Shapar industrial area and Aji dam area where a number of highways are connected. The area also sees the heavy movement of vehicles which increase the risk to lions’ life.
The lions preyed on over 40 animals during their stay near Aji dam area. The villagers had made representation to forest minister Ganpata Vasava demanding relocation of the lions.