Habitat Loss Forces Lions to Move to the Beach

Primarily because of the destruction of their natural habitat, some of India's lions had no choice but to go in search of new hunting territories. Thus, they ended up settling down near some of the coastal villages in the Amreli district.

Apparently, lions quite enjoyed visiting these lands in the past, but they always left after a short time of exploring.

One would expect that these big cats would be reluctant about carrying on with their business this close to human communities, but it seems that they had no issues in adapting to their new living conditions.

Zoologists argue that it is highly unlikely that the lions will choose to leave these coastal areas on their own, as here they finally have sufficient prey available.

Naturally, environmentalists and conservationists argue that lions are not supposed to live this close to humans, and that this situation might foster conflicts which in turn can lead to lives being lost.

More precisely: some wildlife activists make a case of how, throughout the past few months, the 25 lions which decided to move to the beach killed more than 85 domestic animals belonging to the people here.

It is not difficult to guess that this might cause the locals to take action against the animals, regardless of whether or not they are an endangered species and therefore under the law's protection.

As well as this, it is explained that, since the villages close to which the lions have now settled also house various industries (cement manufacturing, in particular), it is possible that the big cats will have their lifestyle disturbed by heavy traffic and constant gas emissions.

Times of India reports that Vipul Laheri, one of the conservationists in charge of finding a solution for this problem, explained how “Lions making an industrial belt their permanent home is a matter of concern now as this may impact the natural corridor of the wild cat.”

From where we stand, this situation only goes to show that, should be keep destroying the natural habitats of many species, we might soon find them turning our back yard into their home.