Lion found dead on a farm in Gujarat

A lion was found dead on a field in Moti Mansa village at Jafrabad taluka here on Wednesday, a forest official said.

The carcass of a lion was found by a few villagers, after which the forest department was alerted, the official said.

The carcass has been taken to Babarkot wild animal rescue centre for an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death, the official added.

According to the 2015 census, Gujarat is home to 523 lions, which the state government believes may have increased to over 600.

There have been several cases of unnatural deaths of lions in the state, mainly due to electrocution, falling into open wells and getting run over by trains.

In a bid to prevent unnatural deaths of lions, the state government ordered the construction of fences on both sides of railway lines that pass through lion habitats and parapets on open wells.