India probes death of 12 endangered lions

New Delhi : Indian authorities yesterday ordered a probe into the deaths of a dozen endangered wild Asiatic lions, half of them cubs, over the last 10 days, officials said. One lioness died after preying on a poisoned boar while eight others lions died of an infection in the lungs and liver. Three cubs were killed in infighting while other three passed away in the course of treatment. Gujarat officials have sent the lions’ carcasses to a veterinary hospital for further analysis into the cause of infection.

“Primarily the deaths appear due to natural causes or some infection,” Vijay Chaudhary, forest department official, told AFP. Listed as critically endangered in 2000, wild Asiatic lions reside only in one Indian forest -- the Gir Sanctuary spread over 1,400 square kilometres (545 square miles) in the western state of Gujarat. The lions, a major tourist attraction in the state, have been a target of poachers in the past.