Rajkot: Two lionesses were found dead in separate incidents in Bhavnagar and Gir-Somnath districts on Thursday. While one lioness died after allegedly being electrocuted by illegally installed electric wires around a farm in Bordi village of Mahuva taluka, the other was found in a decomposed condition in Rampara village of Una taluka and is suspected to have died in a fight with another lion.The lioness in Bordi reportedly came into contact with live wires installed around a maize field to keep wild animals away from the crop and died on the spot. Forest officials from the Palitana-Shetrunji wildlife division reached the site after being informed. An FSL team was also called to examine the scene.The carcass was taken into custody and will be shifted to the Gabbar Centre, where a postmortem will be conducted by a panel of experts.In the second incident, a lioness estimated to be five to nine years old was found in a highly decomposed condition on the outskirts of Rampara village on Thursday afternoon. The village sarpanch informed the Jasadhar forest authorities after spotting the carcass.Forest officials who examined the carcass found injury marks on its rear portion and hind legs. Since male lions are also known to frequent the area, officials suspect that the lioness may have died following an in-fight with a male lion. The exact cause of death will be established after further examination.The forest department has launched a search operation in the area and is also monitoring the movement of lions.
