Forest guard hurt in lion attack at Ambardi park

Ahmedabad: A forest guard was attacked by a lion on Monday at Ambardi Safari Park near Dhari town in Gujarat's Amreli district, officials said.

The incident occurred when the injured guard, S P Teraiya, and other staff were trying to lead the male lion, named 'Shiv', into a cage in the evening, said D T Vasavada, chief conservator of forests (CCF), Junagadh Wildlife Circle.

"The attack took place after tourist hours," he said. The forest guard was admitted to Amreli civil hospital after he was administered primary treatment at Dhari, the CCF said, adding that Teraiya was out of danger.

Ambardi Park, which was thrown open for tourists in 2017, is currently the home for six lions. The park is spread across 4 square kms on the banks of the Shetrunji river and is secured with wire fencing.

Tourists can catch a glimpse of the big cats while travelling in specially designed buses inside the safari park.

After tourist hours, the lions are taken inside their cages. In November last year, a labourer was killed in a lion attack in the Devaliya safari park in Junagadh district.