Over 81 km of rail line fenced to protect lions: Guj to HC

The state government on Monday told the Gujarat High Court it has so far constructed 81.06 kilometres of chain-link fencing on both sides of a railway line passing through lion habitat in Amreli district to prevent the big cats from being run over by trains.

In an affidavit submitted to the division bench of Justice S R Brahmbhatt and Justice A P Thaker, the state government said it has taken a host of measures to curb unnatural deaths of Asiatic lions.

The government said 260.7 km railway track from Pipavav port to Surendranagar passes through lion habitat in Amreli district, adding that it had so far completed 81.06 chain-link fences on this route.

The high court had taken suo motu cognisance of the state government's disclosure in the assembly last year that 184 lions, lionesses and cubs died in 2016 and 2017, with 32 of them dying of "unnatural" causes.

The Gujarat High Court had sought explanations from the Centre and the state government.

In its affidavit, the government said it has so far constructed 37,201 parapets on open wells, including 703 in 2019-20, to prevent lions from falling into them.

Tough measures have been initiated against illegal lion shows also, and 40 cases were registered against 134 offenders since 2016, with four cases lodged this year alone, the state government told the high court.

Mining sites near lion habitats have been told to erect six-foot fencing and practice controlled blasting, it said.

As per the figures placed by the Gujarat government in the assembly last year, 12 lions died of unnatural causes in 2016, and 20 in 2017.

Besides, 92 died of natural causes in 2016 and 60 in 2017.

Gujarat is the only home of lions in Asia, and the 2015 census put their numbers at 523.