Rare Asiatic lion drowns in flood-hit Gujarat

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Tuesday July 5, 04:40 PM

Rare Asiatic lion drowns in flood-hit Gujarat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AHMEDABAD (Reuters) - A rare Asiatic lion drowned in western India after the

animal's only natural habitat was flooded due to torrential rains, a forest

official said on Tuesday.

 

Some 360 other lions in the remote Gir sanctuary in Gujarat state were safe

after parts of the sprawling reserve came under flood water, chief wildlife

warden Pradeep Khanna said.

 

" The post-mortem report of the full-grown lion confirmed the cause of its death

as drowning, " Khanna said.

 

Gujarat has been battered by heavy rains for more than a week, killing 132

people and leaving 400,000 people homeless.

 

Officials say that the Asiatic lions of Gir, as the only remaining group in the

wild, are vulnerable to a sudden outbreak of disease.

 

India is already struggling to save its tigers, rapidly dying out as people

invade their habitat and poachers kill for body parts that fetch huge sums on

the international black market.