A routine operation to capture a lioness in a Visavadar taluka farm turned fatal when a forest tracker was struck by a tranquiliser dart.
The tracker was identified as Ashraf Chauhan.
He succumbed to injuries at Junagadh Civil Hospital.
A news report claims this marks the first-ever fatality of a forest department worker caused by a tranquiliser dart.
Authorities noted that ketamine, the primary ingredient in the tranquiliser, acts by depressing the central nervous system of the target animal, allowing foresters to safely subdue and capture it. Trackers, they said, routinely monitor and follow wildlife within designated areas.
Ram Ratan Nala, conservator of forests (wildlife), Junagadh, told the media outlet that the inquiry had been handed over to the deputy conservator of forests, Gir (West).
Principal chief conservator of forests Jaipal Singh explained that the tracker had been seated directly opposite the veterinary doctor who fired at the lioness, placing him in the cone of fire.
He noted that the family would receive a total of Rs 17 lakh in compensation (Rs 10 lakh under accidental death coverage, Rs 5 lakh from the relief fund, and Rs 2 lakh from government sources).
An investigation was ongoing, he affirmed.
He also described the episode as an unfortunate accident with no intentional wrongdoing.
It has emerged that the veterinary doctor VA Chauhan, had been contracted with the Sasan division of the forest department for a year and a half.
At the time, the forest team was in a tuvar (pigeon pea) farm with crops about five feet high. The vet had to lie prone to aim at the lioness; however, the shot missed the target and struck the tracker instead.
Ashraf was immediately rushed to Junagadh Civil Hospital, where he remained critical overnight and passed away the following morning.
The operation had been prompted after the lioness mauled a four-year-old boy in Nani Monpari village earlier that day. Officials clarified that the tranquilliser administered was a full dose intended for adult lions, three times stronger than what would be used on a human.
A forest department official said that normally only a one-third dose is given for lions weighing up to 70 kg.
Ashraf received CPR twice during the night, and when his heart began failing in the morning, CPR was attempted again, but he could not be revived.
Officials further noted that the treating doctors lacked a protocol for handling such cases, requiring senior personnel to be consulted, and that no antidote was available at the hospital.
Ashraf is survived by his wife and four-year-old daughter. His father, Ali Allahrakha Chauhan, had also served as a tracker with the forest department.
This is reportedly the first recorded human death due to a wildlife tranquiliser dart, with no similar incidents reported even in tiger operations.
An official at the Wildlife Institute of India reportedly claimed that such a fatality had never been encountered.
He questioned why the shot had been taken from the opposite side of where Ashraf was sitting, noting the remote but real risk of a big cat charging before becoming unconscious. He remarked that normally the team remains grouped when a tranquilliser is fired.
Officials familiar with wildlife rescues added that the firearm safety should be engaged while loading the dart, suggesting that either a malfunction occurred or the safety was not activated at the time.
Also Read:
