On the night of June 24, a five-year-old boy who was going with his grandfather to deliver milk was killed in a lioness attack at Chatori village in Khamba taluka. The boy was holding his grandfather’s finger and walking when suddenly a lioness pounced and dragged the child away. The villagers heard their screams and rushed to the scene carrying sticks. Search efforts led to the recovery of the child’s remains about one kilometer from the village.
Caught in lion territory
The death is the latest in a series of five human deaths linked to human-lion conflict that were reported this month. Jaipal Singh told HT Gujarat PCCF (Wildlife) that two of the deaths are confirmed to be just lion attacks and are still under investigation. Investigations into the confirmed fatal attacks revealed that the lions partially ate the bodies of the victims.
Other incidents include the killing of a 25-year-old migrant hotel worker from Uttarakhand near Kovaiya village in Rajula taluka, on June 16, whose severed head and some body parts were found the next day. The other deaths were reported in Bagasara in Amreli district, Savarkundla in Amreli district, and Mahova in Bhavnagar district.
“The department has so far managed to capture 10 lions in connection with the five deaths, and three of these big cats are likely to remain in captivity and will not be released back into the wild,” Singh said.
As a precaution, lions that prey on humans are generally not released back into the wild.
A senior forest department official attributed the rise in attacks partly to weather conditions. Gir district, especially Junagadh district and adjoining areas, has for many years received pre-monsoon rains, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But this year, the monsoon was delayed, resulting in a long, harsh summer. According to the official, lions feel most comfortable at temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius, but the extended heat wave has made them more nervous. He added that when humans are disturbed or contacted in such circumstances, lions are more vulnerable to attack.
Illegal offers and infringement
Another forest official, requesting anonymity, said the sharp increase in human fatalities in Amreli points to illegal lion showings and harassment as major factors, with such activities more common in that district than in Junagadh or Bhavnagar. He also noted that illegal encroachments around the Gir area and other protected areas across the lion landscape are reducing the barrier between lions and human settlements. According to the officer, annual human deaths due to lions and leopards in the wider region are on average 20-30, with lions accounting for about 40% of cases.
Last May, an incident rocked the Madhari community living within Gir National Park and Reserve. A 21-year-old man died in what police and forest officials suspect to be a lion attack in Lathi taluka of Amreli district. Forest officials linked the case to repeated illegal lion shows allegedly organized by the victim and his group in reserved forest areas.
In a separate case, forest officials on June 25 arrested a person in connection with the death of a 7- to 8-month-old Asiatic lion cub. The cub was found dead in Rabari Ness near Junagadh with head injuries indicating human involvement.
Experts point out that many unreported lion attacks occur where victims survive, but people avoid reporting them for fear of legal repercussions.
Wildlife experts have also raised concerns about illegal tourism activities on private lands, where lions are sometimes hunted for shows, and the expansion of hospitality projects near lion corridors. According to government figures, there were 12 illegal lion parades in Gujarat in 2022-23.
Population under pressure
The basic landscape at Gir has an estimated carrying capacity of 350 lions. According to the 2025 census, the total population of Asiatic lions in Gujarat is 891, which has resulted in a large population of lions spreading out of the primary habitat into the surrounding human-dominated landscape. The Amreli district is home to about 350 Asiatic lions, many of which are spread across the hills, passes and coastal stretches from Una to Mahova. This eastern expansion contrasts with patterns in the western regions, where protected forests act as habitat islands linking Gir towards Bhavnagar. This movement has brought lions into closer contact with human settlements and agricultural lands.
The spread of these incidents across remote locations suggests the involvement of multiple animals. Experts who spoke on the condition of anonymity point to behavioral changes associated with habitat pressure, including proposed mining activities in densely populated areas, increased human harassment through illegal lion displays and provocative videos.
Bhushan Pandya, a wildlife photographer and former member of the state wildlife commission, said, “Many of the deaths caused by lions or leopards in Gujarat involve migrant workers in the fields during the open farming season. Illegal resorts and hotels in Gir are closing the lion corridors. Incidents like the recent attack near Pipavav occurred when people disturbed the lions that were hiding in the Prosopis juliflora forest.” He called for the formation of a rapid response team and an emergency helpline.
“In summer, incidents of lion attacks rise, as there is some effect on the behavior of lions due to heat. Humans are not on their menu. It is possible that the rise in their population could also lead to a change in their behaviour,” added Dr Jalpan Rupapara, a lion researcher and radiologist.
Lions generally avoid areas with high human activity, noted YV Jala, a leading expert and co-author of a 2024 study titled Unlocking Human-Lion Coexistence in India, published in the journal Conservation Biology. “Lions avoid periods of high human activity and use hedgerows between farmland and small patches of vegetation as daytime shelters to rest in close proximity to settlements, working farmers and their livestock for several hours without detection or assault…Lions rarely consider humans as prey, and those who do are removed from the population,” according to the research paper.
The paper also indicated lower attack rates compared to African lions. “More than four attacks per month (twice the frequency in India) on humans by lions have been reported in similar human-dominated areas in Tanzania.”
Forest officials are offering compensation for livestock losses, issuing safety warnings and urging villagers to avoid going out alone after dark. The number of Barda lions currently stands at 24, and forest officials said it has a carrying capacity of 100 lions. Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, located 15 km from Porbandar and 100 km from Gir National Park in Gujarat, is a key component of Project Lion, the central government’s 2021 initiative to conserve and expand the population of Asiatic lions. Identified by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as suitable habitat for translocating Asiatic lions, Barda historically housed lions until their local extinction in 1879.
