Illegal Lion Shows in Gir Forest are Unacceptable

Asiatic lioness

The Asiatic lion has been dubbed by local people and the media as the "Pride of Gujarat." However, having such a significant title has also made it a victim of harassment by local people in its homeland. This was seen in a recent case of a video that went viral on Wednesday showing seven people harassing a lioness while celebrating in a farm in the Gir Somnath district. The video showed two people, one of them holding a hen, provoking the lioness standing only a few feet away from him. The man repeatedly harassed the lioness by pretending to throw the hen, even as she watched helplessly. At one point, his friend asked him to make the lioness roar. When the lioness came closer, the man boastfully told his friend that this is a regular routine and that the lioness is not scared of them. He even shooed the lioness for a couple seconds and talked with his friends about how this was the third hen being fed to her that day. The video also showed a woman cooking for the seven friends, who warned not to aggravate the lioness for fear that she may attack. Finally, the man threw the hen and the lioness grabbed it and disappeared into the field behind the seven friends. The seven friends were arrested from the village last month. According to Chief Conservator of Forests D.T Vasavada, because harassing the lions with food and making them come so close has become a routine, the animals might be used to getting food in this way. This was not the only incident of harassing lions in Gir Forest; another had occurred on May 19 in which seven people, including four tourists from Ahmedabad, were caught in the act while watching an illegal lion show in the Babaria range. The tourists had stayed at a farmhouse near Gir Forest and planned the show in the village of Jakhiya in the Gir Somnath district.

Gir Forest

I cannot think of anything more appalling and loathsome than using Gujarat's lions as "performers" for public entertainment in their native homeland. These animals are highly regarded as symbols of Gujarat's heritage and have long been part of India's history and culture from the Lion Capital of Ashoka to Narasimha. Even Bharat Mata, the national personification of India, is often depicted with a lion by her side. How can an animal of such charisma be subjected to harassment for public entertainment? I believe that it is absolutely necessary to address this issue of illegal lion shows in order to raise public awareness and act upon it. The public needs to be educated about the importance of lions in Gujarat and India and that planning such performances is unacceptable and dangerous. There is always a possibility that harassing lions with food can turn them into man-eaters and may result in the animals giving up hunting their natural prey like deer, antelope, and wild pig. When this happens theoretically, who can you blame? The lions or the people? This is why it is essential to enforce strict rules against lion shows in Gir Forest and anybody caught committing such dangerous and loathsome antics should be punished significantly to send a message to other people.

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