Lion Carcass Found in Well in Gir Gadhada

Gir Gadhada: The carcass of a five-year-old male lion was found inside a 60-foot-deep well on a farm on the outskirts of Dhokadwa village in Gir Gadhada taluka, under the Jasadhar range of the Gir East Forest Division, creating a stir in the area.

The carcass was found after the farm owner noticed a strong foul smell coming from the well. The Forest Department has recovered the body and shifted it to the Jasadhar Animal Care Centre for a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

According to the farm owner’s son, the family had been visiting the farm less frequently due to the monsoon. On Thursday morning, after switching on the farm motor, he noticed that the protective net installed over the well had been damaged. While checking the area, he detected a strong stench and found the lion’s body floating inside the well. The Forest Department was immediately informed following the revelation.

A team led by ACF K.P. Bhatia and RFO Kuldeep Chauhan, along with foresters R.N. Mori, Pratap Khuman and rescue team member Najubhai, reached the spot and inspected the well and surrounding area. Officials are investigating how the lion entered the well and whether it died after being trapped inside.

Prima facie, officials suspect that the lion may have fallen into the well while moving through the area in search of prey. Although the well reportedly had a parapet and a plastic safety net, the net was found broken. The possibility that the lion broke through the net before falling into the well is also being examined.

The lion is estimated to have died around two to three days before its carcass was found. The decomposed condition of the body, including the presence of worms and stretched skin, supports the preliminary estimate.

However, the Forest Department is not ruling out other possibilities. Officials are conducting a detailed inspection of the farm and surrounding area to determine whether the lion fell into the well accidentally or was deliberately placed there.

The exact cause of death will be established only after the postmortem report. The Forest Department has also initiated the process of recording the farm owner’s statement as part of the investigation. DeshGujarat