In a shocking video that has emerged, a couple of bike-borne persons can be seen chasing a lion and lioness allegedly in the Gir sanctuary in Gujarat.
The video, posted by ANI on Thursday, has caused a substantial stir in the social media.
According to reports, the four bike-borne men chased the lion, lioness and apparently cubs as well, though the latter cannot be seen in the video.
The lions can be seen trying to frantically run away from the chasers, even as one of them is heard shouting in Gujarati to keep shooting the video.
The video clips posted by ANI seem to be taken from two different times, one in the night and another during the day or evening.
Watch it here:
Police have arrested three persons in relation to the case. While two were arrested from Rajkot, the third person was arrested from Amreli. Police are tracking the fourth man, who allegedly shot the video.
This is not the first time that such a video of deliberate cruelty towards the wild cat has emerged from Gujarat. Back in June, a video clip showed a group of men in a car, chasing a terrified lion cub in Amreli district near the Gir forest.
Voices could be heard in the video, egging on the driver to chase the cub, which was desperately tried to escape.
Gujarat’s Gir forest is the only natural habitat for Asiatic lions. This year, the state reported an increase in its lion population in the national parks and sanctuaries to 650. This is the highest number of Asiatic lions recorded since 1936, reported TOI.
In 2000, Asiatic lions had been categorised as ‘critically endangered’ as there were only 304 lions in the Gir sanctuary according to the 1995 census.