AHMEDABAD: Three lions and a lioness were rescued from an open well in Sarasiya range of Gir East forest division in the early hours of Sunday, an official said.
The unused well was about 100 feet deep and was situated on a farm in Manavav, and the four big cats, in the 2-3 year age group, fell into it on Saturday evening, Sarasiya Range Forest Officer M R Odedra said.
"The farm owner alerted us. A forest department team managed to rescue the lions and lioness after working through the night. The well was dry and the four had to be dragged out with the help of residents and equipment we had carried for the purpose," Odedra said.
The incident comes within a month of the state government telling the Gujarat High Court that it had, so far, constructed 37,201 parapets on open wells in forests to prevent lions from falling into them.
According to officials, there are over 50,000 such wells that pose danger to wild animals.