A terrifying encounter between a lioness and a villager in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district has been caught on camera showing the big cat pinning the man to the ground for several tense minutes before unexpectedly walking away.
The dramatic incident took place in Garajiya village under the Palitana forest range on the morning of July 6. The video, which has since gone viral on social media, captures the lioness holding the man down beside a parked pickup truck while frightened villagers watch from a distance.
The injured man, identified as Kalubhai Parmar, appeared to have suffered bleeding injuries but remarkably remained almost completely still throughout the ordeal. At one point in the video, he can even be seen gently reaching out to touch the lioness, apparently in an attempt to calm the animal and avoid provoking another attack.
Meanwhile, villagers can be heard shouting and throwing stones from a safe distance in an effort to distract the lioness. However, no one ventured close enough to intervene, fearing another attack.
After several nerve-racking minutes, the lioness suddenly released Parmar and calmly walked away toward a nearby cattle shelter, allowing him to escape alive.
According to Chirag Amin, Deputy Conservator of Forests of the Shatrunjay Division, Parmar was first taken to the government hospital in Palitana before being shifted to Bhavnagar for further treatment. Forest officials said he is now out of danger.
In an official statement issued on Monday, the Palitana Range Forest Office said the incident occurred after villagers spotted the lioness in the area and raised an alarm. Officials said the animal appeared to be attempting to leave the village when it attacked and injured the man during the commotion.
The forest department praised Parmar’s exceptional composure during the encounter, saying his “extraordinary courage, patience, presence of mind and mental composure” prevented the situation from becoming even more dangerous.
Authorities have since launched an operation to capture the lioness. They have also urged residents not to chase, corner or harass the animal, and instead immediately alert the forest department if it is sighted.
Forest officials said the lioness had hunted prey near Sonpari village in the Dharwada area a day earlier before moving into Garajiya village, which lies within its regular movement corridor.
The incident comes amid growing concern over increasing encounters between humans and Asiatic lions in Gujarat. In June alone, five people lost their lives in incidents linked to lion attacks, with two deaths still under investigation.
Wildlife experts say the rise in such encounters is being driven by several factors, including the expanding lion population moving beyond the core Gir landscape, illegal lion shows that disturb the animals, harassment by people, and increasing human encroachment around protected forests that has narrowed the buffer between wildlife habitats and villages.
Despite the recent incidents, forest officials noted that the episode also reflects the long-standing coexistence between people and Asiatic lions in the Greater Gir landscape, where members of the Maldhari pastoral community—including Parmar—have lived alongside the big cats for generations.
Also Read: Five Deaths In A Month: What’s Driving Gujarat’s Rising Lion Attacks? https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-human-lion-conflict-five-deaths-june-2026/
