Ahmedabad/Rajkot: The death of 21-year-old Sohil Memon, who was mauled by a lion near Antaliya village in Amreli’s Liliya taluka on Wednesday, has put the spotlight back on the thriving illegal network offering “guaranteed” lion sightings across the Gir landscape. The Gujarat forest department has, for the first time, officially acknowleged that Memon’s death was the result of an unauthorised lion-sighting excursion.According to the department, Memon and his two friends were on a bike, riding from Antariya to Luvariya along the banks of the Gagadiyo river, an area known to be lion habitat. Memon ventured close to a mating pair of lions when he was attacked, an official said, adding this is the fourth fatal attack on a human in the region in under a month.A senior forest officer said, “It is unusual that the three, who are not the residents of the area, were aware of the lions’ location. They may have been aided by locals who, after the incident, moved out, leaving the three.”A TOI investigation found that illegal excursions are openly marketed in greater Gir, particularly in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts where a large population of Asiatic lions lives outside protected forests, often close to villages.Posing as a tourist from North India, TOI contacted several resorts and homestays around Dhari. The manager of one homestay said, “Come down even if the safari is closed. We will arrange your stay and lion sighting.” He quoted rates ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000, depending on the size of the tourist group and the kind of sighting requested. “You can watch a lion kill cattle for Rs 20,000; Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 to see one feed on a kill. If there is a mating pair nearby, the rates will be decided later. Our trackers will accompany you and you will get 30 minutes for photography,” he said, adding that a night’s stay for two guests would cost Rs 3,800.One resort official in Liliya offered daytime sightings for Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 for a group of four. “We avoid the forest at night, but can show you lions and cubs during the day,” he claimed.This informal network has become a booking platform for illegal wildlife tourism. Foresters say the trips are coordinated through WhatsApp groups run by villagers. Resort and homestay staff, many of them locals, allegedly receive real-time information whenever lions are spotted in fields or near villages. The locations are then passed on to tourists through direct messages or calls.Some farm owners allegedly share the whereabouts of lions camping in their fields to resort operators, who immediately alert guests. In some cases, tourists directly contact people whose clips of lions walking through villages or resting in farms go viral.Local trackers familiar with lion movements guide private vehicles through agricultural fields and forest fringes directly to the animals, where multiple vehicles often converge, illuminating lions with headlights and camera flashes amid loud conversations‘ATTACKED BY A MATING LION’A forest official said the three friends went looking for lions to film them. “Two of them wanted to go deep into the reserve forest, while one stayed back. A pair was mating. Lions mate over several days and can become highly aggressive if disturbed at this time,” the officer said.State forest and environment minister Arjun Modhwadia stated, “They had gone to watch lions illegally and provoked the lion, after which it attacked them. One person died. The lion involved has been captured.” The minister appealed to the public to maintain a safe distance from the big cats and avoid provoking or disturbing wildlife.Memon’s phone has been sent for forensic analysis. His companions, whose statements have been recorded, could face action. One of the survivors first said Memon had gone to relieve himself but later admitted they had gone to film the big cats, a forester said.VIOLATION OF HOMESTAY POLICYActivists say unauthorised trips violate wildlife laws and can alter lion behaviour while exposing tourists and locals to avoidable risks. They have also flagged widespread misuse of the state’s homestay policy. Several schemes of bungalows have come up around Gir where the units sold as residential properties are allegedly converted into commercial accommodation.Under Gujarat’s homestay guidelines, owners must reside in the property and are limited to six rooms and 12 beds. Activists allege that many so-called homestays function as full-fledged resorts managed by hired staff while owners live elsewhere.“Resorts regularly alert guests about lion locations. Tourists then rush in vehicles, disturbing the animals with headlights and honking. Repeated disturbance has changed lion behaviour and made some animals more irritable,” said lion conservationist Ajit Bhatt. Resort operators are also accused of hosting weddings, playing loud music and bursting firecrackers near lion habitats. One resort currently under the tourism department’s scanner allegedly offered a three-night wedding package for Rs 15 lakh. Forest officials admit enforcement is difficult.There are an estimated 50 resorts and homestays around Dhari alone, while the larger Gir-Sasan landscape has more than 600 tourism establishments. “The growing competition has encouraged guaranteed lion sightings as a marketing tool,” said a senior forest official. “The problem is particularly severe outside the protected area where surveillance is difficult,” he added.
