Flash floods in Saurashtra claim six Asiatic lions

Six Asiatic lions have died as flash floods followed by heavy rains wreaked havoc in Amreli district of Saurashtra last week. The six carcasses have been recovered while an extensive search operation is being carried out by teams of forest guards to locate some 35 missing lions.

Among the six, the bodies of four lions, including a female cub, were found in Amreli district, the worst-affected with 816 mm rainfall in three days as against the normal of around 600 mm. The bodies of two other lions were recovered from Bhavnagar district.

As per the recent Lion Census conducted by State Forest Department, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts put together have a lion population of over 200. According to senior forest officials, at least 35 lions are believed to be missing.

The Forest Department has deployed 15 teams of forest guards along with social forestry teams to locate any more carcasses of lions and other animals, and rescue the injured.

The Kankrech area, which resembles a geographic bowl, faced the fury of flash floods after the flooding in Shetrunji River. This is believed to have washed away the lions’ habitat.

Forest Department sources confirmed that besides lions, at least 150 blue bulls (also called neelgai), four spotted deers (cheetals), a wild boar and a porcupine have been found so far.

In all over 1,000 carcasses of different animals have been found after the floods that hit Saurashtra including the Asiatic Lion’s only habitat in the world, Junagadh, Amreli, and Bhavnagar. There have been no reports of death of any leopards so far.

The Asiatic lion is an endangered species. A census conducted in May this year estimated their population at 523.

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