Lion drowns off Gujarat coast, suspected to have fled territorial clash

• A six-year-old lion drowned in the Arabian Sea near Pipavav Port in Gujarat’s Amreli district, a forest official said.

• Officials suspect it entered the water while fleeing a territorial clash with two other lions on Monday.

• Its carcass was recovered on Tuesday, and a post-mortem examination confirmed drowning as the cause of death.

A lion drowned in the Arabian Sea near Pipavav Port in Gujarat’s Amreli district, apparently after entering the water to escape a territorial confrontation with two other lions, a forest official said on Tuesday.

The animal, estimated to be six years old, was found dead near the port’s jetty at around 1.30 pm on Tuesday. The location was about three kilometres from the seashore at Patva village, according to D K Makwana, Range Forest Officer of Rajula range.

Three lions had been seen along the Patva coastline on Monday. Forest officials suspect a territorial fight prompted one of them to retreat into the sea in search of safety.

Makwana said confrontations between male lions often end with the weaker animal leaving the territory. In this instance, the lion was believed to have entered the water near Chanch Bandar, possibly attempting to swim across to a safer location.

Residents reported seeing the animal enter the sea on Monday. Forest personnel later checked the area and found its footprints near the entry point.

Although lions can swim across shorter stretches of water, Makwana said this animal may have become exhausted before it could reach land.

The floating carcass was first noticed by personnel carrying out routine surveillance near the port’s jetty. They initially thought it was a cow or buffalo, but a closer look suggested it was a wild animal.

They informed the company management, which alerted the forest department. Officials subsequently reached the site, identified the carcass as that of a lion and took custody of it.

A post-mortem examination established drowning as the cause of death, with no other cause found, Makwana said. The suspected territorial clash remains the officials’ explanation for why the animal entered the sea.

The Patva–Chanch Bandar–Pipavav coastal stretch forms part of a wider lion corridor running from Diu towards Mahuva in Bhavnagar district, he added.

With PTI inputs