Lions night out in Gujarat's Amreli district keeps residents sleepless

Ahmedabad: It was a night out for a pride of lions who possibly were on a hunt for a meaty dinner near the famous Gir sanctuary in Gujarat but the sight gave goosebumps to the residents where the carnivores were taking a stroll.

It was possibly independence for 12 lions, who were captured moving around in security cameras placed near local shops on Tuesday night.

Officials from the forest department said the lions who entered the Rampara village in Amreli district, around 15 kilometers from the west zone of the wildlife park, were likely in search of cattle as prey. But alas! they left without causing any damage.

The sprawling 1,400-sq kiolmeter Gir wildlife sanctuary is the only natural habitat for rare Asiatic lions.

Asiatic lions - different from African lions, with a characteristic skin fold on their bellies and thinner manes on the males - once roamed most of Asia.