Rajkot: An Asiatic lion was found dead near Valar village in Talaja taluka of Bhavnagar district on Friday evening. The carcass of the big cat was found from a gauchar land and the forest department has been informed about the incident.
Locals suspect the lion may have ‘died’ three to four days ago. The reason behind the death is yet to be known and possible killing is not ruled out. Soon after the carcass was found, senior forest officials rushed to the spot and have begun investigations.
“As of now, we can’t say anything about the cause of the death. We have conducted a postmortem and forensic experts are being called to ascertain the cause of the death. Officials concerned are
investigating the case. The spot from where the carcass was found is part of the revenue area,” said K S Randhava, deputy conservator of forests, Bhavnagar division.
However, senior forest officials have not ruled out the possibility of poaching. Local wildlife volunteers said some claws and teeth of the lion are missing and this had led to suspicion of foul play.
