Lion & Lioness Die After falling in a Well in Gir Forest

Amreli: A lion and a lioness got drowned when they fell into an open well in the Gir forest division in Gujarat’s Amreli district.

Informing about it on Saturday, Gujarat forest officials said the ill-fated wild animals were aged five to nine years. They fell into an open well in the field of a farmer in Kotda village in Khambha taluka.

When the owner of the well found the drowned lion and lioness, he immediately informed the forest officials about the incident. But by the time the rescue team reached the spot, both had died. Their carcasses were seized and sent for post-mortem.

To avoid such incidents 11,748 wells in the Gir East division covering Amreli and Gir Somnath districts have been secured with parapets to prevent lions from falling into them.

As per the reply of the Gujarat forest minister in the state assembly, a total of 283 lions had died in two years till December 2021. Out of them, 21 had died unnatural deaths, including falling into wells and getting run over by trains and vehicles.