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Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Tantric rituals lead to wildlife crime arrest, 1 held
Rajkot: Forest officials arrested a 48-year-old man from Simran village in Savarkundla taluka on Thursday for illegal possession of protected wildlife parts allegedly used in tantric rituals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The seized items include the skin of a blackbuck and two lion claws. The arrest followed a raid conducted by the forest department based on specific intelligence inputs about the use of endangered species in occult practices. Range forest officer Pratap Chandu, who is leading the investigation, confirmed that the recovered items were found at the residence of the accused, Valji Matang. "We have sent the blackbuck skin and lion claws to a forensic laboratory for examination," Chandu said. "The accused claimed that these items were over two decades old and were brought into the household by his grandfather for religious purposes." However, officials clarified that the Wildlife Protection Act strictly prohibits the possession, trade, or use of any body parts of protected animals, regardless of their age or intended use. Matang was booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and produced before a local court on Friday. The court granted forest officials three days of custodial interrogation to further probe the origin and possible trade links of the seized items. Amreli district, which is home to 339 of Gujarat's 891 Asiatic lions as per the latest census, is considered a high-sensitivity zone for wildlife conservation. The forest department has been keeping a close watch on illegal activities involving protected species in the region.
NDTV
25-06-2025
- NDTV
5-Year-Old Boy Dragged Away From Farm, Mauled To Death By Lion In Gujarat
Amreli: A five-year-old son of a labourer was dragged away and mauled to death by a lion in Amreli district on Wednesday afternoon, a forest department official said. The big cat was caged hours after the incident and shifted to an animal rescue centre. The lion dragged away the child from a farm near Thordi village, said Range Forest Officer (RFO), Savarkundla range, Pratap Chandu. The body of the victim, Gulsingh Harilal Ajnera, was found nearly 100 metres away from the spot, he said. Following the incident, the forest department set up teams to trap the big cat who was caged by the evening and taken to a nearby animal rescue centre, Chandu added. As per the census conducted in May 2025, Amreli district is not part of the traditional habitat of Asiatic lions who are inhabitants of the Gir National Park. The census recorded the presence of lions outside Gir National Park in 11 districts, including Amreli, of Saurashtra in non-forested and coastal areas. The other ten districts where the presence of lions is recorded are: Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Botad. The estimated population of Asiatic lions in their sole abode of Gujarat increased from 674 to 891 over the last five years, as per the census. As many as 384 lions were counted in the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and 507 outside its limits.
