Forest staff in Gujarat put their lives at risk to save a lion cub found stuck in a net. A video shared by senior Indian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey shows how a group of field researchers and forest staff worked hard to extricate the lion cub from the net. The incident occurred in Rajula, Greater Gir.
"Forest staffs and field researchers in Rajula, Greater Gir (Gujrat) heard a roar and found a lion cub trapped in net," wrote Mr Pandey while sharing footage of the rescue on Twitter. The lioness and other cubs were sitting nearby.
"To avoid strangulation of cub they put their lives at risk and freed the cub. Salute to our green guards," wrote Mr Pandey.
The video he shared shows four to five men working together to rescue the lion cub. After subduing the aggressive cub, they risk their lives by getting closer to disentangle it from the net, aware that its mother was sitting nearby. Using their bare hands and sticks, they finally manage to free it from the net it was trapped in, and the video ends with the lion cub running away quickly.
Since being posted on Thursday, the video has been viewed more than 28,000 times on the microblogging platform.
Many Twitter users applauded the rescuers for their courage, while others questioned what a net was doing in the forest.
The Gir Forest in Gujarat is the last abode of the Asiatic lion in the world. According to data released by the Gujarat government in 2020, there are an estimated 674 Asiatic lions currently living in the Gir Forest.
