Gujarat Amreli Lion Attack Restaurant Worker Killed

A lion mauled to death a 29-year-old man who worked at a restaurant in Gujarat’s Amreli district, forest department officials said on Tuesday. Initial reports suggest the man, who is from Uttarakhand, was killed after he apparently encountered a pride of lions, officials said.

Later in the day, the forest department rescued two lions that likely belong to the same pride and efforts were on to rescue two cubs as well, officials said. “Scat analysis of the rescued lions will be done to confirm if they killed the man,” the official added. The department has also issued instructions to increase the number of trackers in the region and to intensify round-the-clock monitoring and patrolling there.

According to sources, a man was found killed by a wild animal in Kovaya village of Rajula tehsil around 6 am. A forest department official said the man, Prakash Chandra, was originally from Pithoragadh in Uttarakhand and had been working at a restaurant in Rajula.

Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia in a statement said in a statement, “The news of a youth’s demise in a conflict with a (pride of) lion is deeply distressing. I pay my tributes to the youth (Prakash Chandra) who lost his life in this unfortunate incident and express my heartfelt condolences to the grieving family.”

Modhwadia said, “To ensure that such an incident is not repeated in the future, necessary instructions have been given to increase the number of trackers in the entire area, as well as to intensify round-the-clock monitoring and patrolling.”

“Under normal circumstances, Asiatic lions tend to avoid human conflict, but sometimes due to situational reasons, there is an unexpected change in their behavior, which results in such tragedies. All necessary preventive and effective measures will be taken to maintain a proper balance between the safety of human life and the conservation of wildlife,” he added.