AHMEDABAD: What began as a desperate hunt for a man-eating lioness in Gujarat’s Junagadh district spiralled into a double tragedy, with one life claimed by the wild and the other life claimed by a twist of fate.
On Sunday morning, terror struck Nani Monpari village in Visavadar taluka when a four-year-old boy, the son of migrant labourers, was mauled to death by a lioness on the village outskirts.
Panic spread, and by afternoon, the forest department had swung into action. A special rescue team from Sasan Gir was rushed in, armed with cages and tranquilliser guns, under pressure to neutralise the threat before dusk.
“The lioness had turned aggressive and was hiding in agricultural fields. Capturing her quickly was critical,” a senior forest official said.
By around 4 pm, inputs confirmed the lioness was lurking in a tur (pigeon pea) field near the village.
Over 30 forest officials and staff converged on the spot. The plan was clear: set up a cage, tranquillise the animal, and avert further loss of life.
As the cage was being positioned, the lioness suddenly climbed in, triggering chaos and urgency.
In the tense moment, a tranquilliser gun was fired. Instead of striking the lioness, the dart pierced the left hand of tracker Ashraf Khan, who was standing nearby, eyes fixed on the animal.
“It all happened in seconds. The shot was meant for the lioness, but Ashraf was hit,” said a forest department employee who witnessed the incident. The dart carried a potent sedative designed to bring down a giant predator.
Ashraf collapsed almost immediately.
Colleagues rushed to his side, abandoning the operation as they scrambled to save their own.
He was first taken to Visavadar Civil Hospital for emergency treatment and later referred to Junagadh Civil Hospital.
Despite doctors’ efforts, Ashraf succumbed within hours.
“This is probably the first incident in history where a forest staffer has died due to a misfired tranquilliser gun,” an official admitted, calling it a “dark and shocking day” for the department.
Meanwhile, the lioness, whose presence sparked the chain of events, remains at the centre of rescue efforts, even as questions mount over safety protocols, gun handling, and the risks faced daily by frontline forest staff.