Amid claims of strict action, another video of illegal lion show surfaces

Veraval | Thursday, Oct 25 2018 IST

Despite claims of strict action against illegal lion-show organisers in Gir area to fight the spread of deadly Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) among the big cats, another video of such a show has gone viral.In the short video suspected to be shot somewhere in Gir forests in Gir Gadhada area of Gir Somnath district, a man sitting on a chair could be seen holding a hen in his hand and tempting a lioness standing quite close-by. The lioness, after first few attempts, succeeds in catching the hen. A forest official said that the matter is being investigated. It would also be checked as to whether it was an old or a recent video. Notably, in the same area seven people were jailed some time back for organising lions shows. Between September 12 and October 2, altogether 23 lions of a same group had died in Dalkhaniya range of Gir forests, the sole abode of Asiatic lions. The deadly CD virus was held responsible for it. The CDV had killed more than 1000 lions in a forest in East Africa in 1991. It was suspected that the infected meat consumed during the illegal lion shows could also be responsible for spread of CDV among lions. UNI RAJ SB 1351 https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20181025/3461470.html