Amreli, Oct 11 (PTI) The Gujarat forest department has registered an offence in connection with the “suspicious” death of a lioness whose carcass was found in Amreli district two days ago, and launched a probe, an official said on Saturday.
The carcass of the feline was found on Thursday in the revenue area of Mota Kankot village in Liliya range of the district.
A team of forest department officials reached the spot and sent the carcass for post-mortem to a nearby animal rescue centre, said Viralsinh Chavda, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Amreli.
“Prima facie, the lioness, aged 3 to 4 years, died in suspicious circumstances, after which the carcass was taken to the animal rescue centre and a panel post-mortem was conducted in the presence of two veterinary officers,” he said.
The Liliya range forest has registered an offence under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, including the one related to hunting, Chavda added.
“Staff of the local forest department are scanning the area where the lioness carcass was found as well as nearby areas to find out the cause of the death,” he said.
Gujarat is the only abode of Asiatic lions.
A census conducted in May this year has pegged the population of Asiatic lions at 891, a significant rise from 674 five years ago. Not only did the count go up by 217, but the animals were found outside the Gir National Park, their traditional habitat, and spread across 11 districts of Saurashtra, including non-forested and coastal areas. PTI COR KA NP
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