The Gujarat Forest Department on Friday ruled out any foul play, including poaching, in the deaths of 11 Asiatic lions during the last one week.
The lions were found dead in the Gir Widlife Sanctuary, the only abode of Asiatic lions in the world. Nine lions were found dead in Dalkhaniya range and two in Jashadhar range of Gir's eastern region.
Principal chief conservator of forests G. K. Sinha said in Gandhinagar that eight lions have been reported dead with a reason of territorial rights while postmortem of three lions is awaited. According to him, none of them was infected with virus.
Sinha, one of the senior-most forest officers in the state, said the lions which found dead include six cubs of less than one year age and three lionesses.
In the Dalkhaniya range, the forest department has witnessed the movement of lions from other regions. This happens when the lions staying in a particular range get older and younger lions from other territory move into the area, kill the older lion and win over the lioness. Normally, the younger lion also eats away at the cubs fathered by the dead lion.
Gujarat has always seen the Asiatic lion as the pride of the state and always opposed any move of translocation of lions to Madhya Pradesh. The Widlife Institute of India had identified Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary for translocation of lions. The idea was to ensure that the species does not become extinct in the event of any epidemic in the regions.
While the translocation is a court matter and also debatable, the number of lions in Gir has been on the rise. According to the Gujarat Forest Department, the population of wild cats in the region in 2015 was 523 as against 359 in 2005.
The Forest Department said that in 2016-17, 99 lions died of which 80 were natural deaths. In 2017-18, the number of deaths was 69, out of which 51 were natural deaths.
A team of senior forest officers is in Gir to monitor the situation, Sinha said.
