Viral Video: Traffic Halts As Pride Of Lions Walks Across Highway

Lions & leopards seem to be living relatively conflict-free in human-dominated landscape outside the Gir forest.

Representative image. (Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

You have never watched anything more majestic than this. A pride of nearly 20 lions brought traffic on Gujarat's busy Pipavav-Rajula highway to a halt on Friday evening as it walked across the street. Motorists and motorcycle-borne riders beheld the wondrous sight of the big cats and their little ones trying to cross the street.

Reports say the lions were being relocated from a wildfire-affected area of the forest to a safer section.

Gir Lion Population Increasing

According to Current Science: “During the last five decades (1965–2015), an approach for the Asiatic lion conservation is one of the best efforts in the world. Unlike other super predators, the number of lions has increased by 4-folds and wild ungulates by over 13-folds in the Gir forest during this period.

It is interesting to know that lions and leopards live in human-dominated landscape outside the Gir forest. Blue bull, wild boar and feral cattle, and carcasses of livestock in the villages are major food for the lions. The prey population, predation behaviour of the lion and acceptance of the lion as honourable animal by the villagers indicate that the present trend may continue in the near future as well.”

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Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam