Killer railway tracks taking toll on Gir 'pride'

A two-year-old lion cub succumbed to its injuries sustained in a fatal hit by a goods train near Pipavav Port in Amereli district, nearly 40 km from Gir Sanctuary on Saturday. Incidentally, the injured cub was found at the same place where two lionesses were mowed down by a speeding train around a month ago.

Confirming the death of the Asiatic lion, Gujarat’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) CN Pandey said that the injured male cub was spotted in the proximity of railway tracks by some villagers who informed forest officials. Forest officials tried to rescue the injured cub but it died on way to the treatment centre, said Pandey.

Sources said that the incident occurred near Pipavav Port-Dhola railway route near Bhamer village in Amereli. According to villagers, the cub was hit by a Pipavav Port-bound speeding goods train. After the incident, the train driver had stopped the train and informed nearby Savarkundla railway station.“There is a strong possibility that the cub might have been hit by a train. Though there was no sign of external injuries on the cub, during post-mortem internal injuries were found on its body. There was serious injury on both the hind legs,” the PCCF said.

Orders had been given to investigate the cause of the cub’s death, said the PCCF adding that a meeting of senior State forest officials and Bhavnagar Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) has been fixed to discuss the issue on Monday. “We have already taken up the issue with the railway authorities. We are in the process of organising a joint exercise to spot sensitive areas along railway tracks to curb such incidents in future,” he said.

Due to the State forest department’s efforts unnatural death of rare breed of Asiatic lions were almost stopped over the past 15 years despite a railway line passing through Gir Sanctuary, but the death of two lionesses and a cub within a month due to passing trains worries wildlife lovers.