Forest minister blames guard too

A day after a lioness at Sanjay Gandhi National Park attacked and killed Harishchandra Gembal, a guard, state Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said the incident was the guard’s fault.

A day after a lioness at Sanjay Gandhi National Park attacked and killed Harishchandra Gembal, a guard, state Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said the incident was the guard’s fault.

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The lioness was found and tranquilised on Wednesday, while another missing lion was found in the morning.

“Preliminary investigations show that the inner enclosure of the safari, where the lions were, was not locked by Gembal. He was a temporary guard and fairly new,” Kadam told Hindustan Times.

However, the government, he said, would give his family compensation similar to that given to permanent employees, as well as a job to his wife.

The lion safari is a 20-minute ride through a 29.65-acre fenced area in the park. There are about 25 lions which visitors can see up close from inside the caged buses provided by the park.

Kadam said the lions in the safari were well looked after as far as diet and security was concerned. As far as visitors’ security was concerned, Kadam said the buses were well guarded and forest officers monitor the area well.

“I am going to the park and safari myself to see what needs to be done to strengthen security. After all, it is only the first such incident. The situation is under control,” he added.