Rajmata in Liliya serious: Lioness may collapse any time

AHMEDABAD: An old lioness, known as Rajmata in Liliya-Kachraj area, is hovering between life and death in the

forest department hospital in Jasadhar

. It was the locals who informed the forest department about the illness of Rajmata, who is over 15 years old.

Sources in the department said that the lioness has gone too weak and may collapse any time. Rajan Joshi, a wildlife enthusiast, says, “The lioness was first spotted in the area in 2002 in Liliya-Kachraj area. The lioness was a cub of five months when it came in the area along with the parents. It was during the floods that her father was swept away by the gushing waters and died. The forest department rescued the mother and took her to Gir East division. Unaware of the cub, Rajmata was left behind when she was three years old and since then her family members have been increasing in number. At present, the region has 40 odd lions - these lions are from the Rajmata family.”

The lioness with the belt in the neck that is radio collared

The lioness was even radio collared to study the behaviour of the big cats outside the forest areas. The love for the big cat was so strong that earlier, in 2013, the people of Kakrach (also in Amreli district) had launched an agitation after their 'Rajmata,' a radio-collared lioness, had wandered away from the
area. It was later spotted in Gondal.

"The forest department captured the lioness, gave it a new radio-collar, and kept it in the zoo," said Manoj Joshi, trustee of Pariyavaran Samiti in the area. "But the local residents went to the forest office and urged the officials to free the lioness."

Even the panchayat passed a resolution and forced the forest department to free the lioness. The lioness is now 15 years old and still lives in the area.

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