10 more Gir lions die one by one in 10 days, total toll up to 21

All 10 Asiatic lions, rescued from the Dalkhaniya Range in Amreli district following the death of 11 big cats, have died at the Jasadhar animal care centre.

The lions succumbed one after another between September 20 and September 30, sending a shockwave in Asia’s solitary abode for lions.

RAJKOT/AHMEDABAD: All 10 Asiatic lions, rescued from Gir’s Dalkhaniya Range in Gujarat’s Amreli district following the death of 11 big cats, have died at the Jasadhar animal care centre, the Gujarat forest department confirmed on Monday. 

The lions succumbed one after another between September 20 and September 30, sending shockwaves through Asia’s only abode for lions. The death toll since September 12 has increased to 21. Earlier, 11 lions, including cubs, were found dead in Dalkhaniya between September 12 and September 19.

However, a scarier revelation is that four of the 11 lions that died between September 12 and September 16 were infected with canine distemper virus (CDV). This lethal virus spreads from dogs in the wild. This is the same virus which had wiped out nearly 1,000 lions from Tanzania’s Serengeti Reserve in 1994.

Forests and environment minister Ganpat Vasava told TOI: “Preliminary reports from National Institute of Virology, Pune, have confirmed CDV in four lions. We are awaiting the final report of possible CDV in other lions.” The forest department said on Monday that of the total 21 lions, six had died of protozoan infection and four due to “some virus”.

Protozoan infection is caused by ticks, mostly found among dogs in the wild, as well as cattle and even grass. As a precautionary step, the forest department has evacuated 31 lions from Semardi area near Sarasiya Vidi and shifted them to Jamwala rescue centre.