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There appears to be just no respite to the rare Asiatic lions in the Gir sanctuary in Gujarat. In fact, hardly does a month pass in the 1,412 sq km forest without a couple of lion deaths.

Two more lion deaths, including that of a cub, greeted the month of April on its very first day.

Indeed, after the shocking discovery of poaching of 3 lions on Friday, two more lion carcasses were found on the banks of Raval river in the Timbarva beat of Tulshishyam Range on Sunday.

Bharat Pathak, conservator of forests, said both the lion and the cub died a natural death and were not killed by poachers. Though there were several injury marks on the body of the lion, Pathak said it could be due to a fight with another animal in the sanctuary. He said such fights between two big cats, particularly a lion and a leopard, were not uncommon in Gir. As for the cub, he suspected that the cause of the death could be starvation. He confirmed that all the body parts, including bones and claws of the carnivores were intact. A forensic team has been conducting a medical inquiry, he stated.

Between Thursday and Sunday, the Gir forest has lost 6 of its habitats, 3 of them brutally killed by poachers. In all, as many as 15 lions have lost their lives in the game reserve in the last three months, including 9 in March alone.

On Friday, carcasses of three lions were found from the Babariya Range. All their bones and claws were ripped off and considering the striking similarity in the killing as well as modus operandi, it is believed to be the handiwork of the same poachers who had struck in the same area in early March and killed the same number of lions.

On Thursday, carcass of a 7-year-old lioness was recovered from the Jasadhar Range. All her claws and bones were intact. According to a forest department press release, based on the postmortem report, she died a natural death.

On March 17, two lions were found dead in an open 80-foot well in a village farm some 7 kms from the Tulshishyam Range. The carnivores had stepped out of the sanctuary in search of prey and fallen accidentally into the open well.

On March 3, horribly degenerated carcasses of two lionesses and one lion with only some token skin were recovered from the Babariya Range. What was shocking was that all the claws, bones and even skulls of the big cats were missing.

On February 24, carcasses of two lion cubs, barely 2 months old, were found from a 60-foot open well with water up to 15 feet, on a farm about 6 kms from Dalkhaniya Range. There were tyre marks of a vehicle leading right up to the well, indicating that some vandals had probably chased the cubs and derived sadistic joy.

On January 18, carcass of a lion was recovered from the Kamleshwar dam near Sasan, the heart of Gir. The forst department confirmed that all his bones and claws were safe.

On January 4, an eight-year-old died in Seemar near the Union Territory of Diu when he was trying to enter a cotton farm in the Jasadhar Range by crossing an illegal electrical fencing. Range forest officer KB Mulani confirmed, after the postmortem, that the lion's death occurred because of electric current.