DSWF News - India: Five more Asiatic lions killed near Gir
Three lionesses and two cubs were apparently electrocuted last week near Gir, by a crop protection fence put up by a local farmer. This latest tragedy brings the number of Gir lions that have died this year to a staggering total of 32:
- 8 lions have died due to poaching
- 6 lions have been electrocuted
- 5 lions died after falling into open wells
- 1 lion was hit by a vehicle
- 12 lions were found dead
The Asiatic lion is one of the most critically endangered species on this planet and this added twist of so many lions being killed by electrocution from crop protection fencing is a catastrophe", said Belinda Wright, Executive Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
However, four poachers thought to be responsible for killing eight lions near Bhavnagar have recently been arrested and are being questioned. Officers are hoping to find out how the skin, teeth and bones of the slain lions were taken out of the Gir and Bhavnagar forest and smuggled out of the country to China where their body parts are used as ingredients in traditional medicine.
The Gir forest, which is the only sanctuary for the Asiatic lions, had 350 lions as per the census conducted in 2000.
