No comments, says lion but gives bite near Gondal

RAJKOT: A scribe and a photographer were attacked by a lion in Bildi village of Gondal taluka in Rajkot district on Tuesday. Chandresh Pandya and Yogesh Bhojani had gone to cover the killing of cattle by the wild cat, a phenomena that is on the rise in the area.
"Both of them were rescued by the villagers. Yogesh has got injures in his abdomen while Chandresh sustained injuries on his hands,'' said Pinto Bhojani, a cousin of Yogesh who is hospitalized in Gondal town.
The lion was dragging Yogesh away from the spot when the villagers reached the spot and raised a noise that led the lion to flee.
In the recent past, lions have been spotted in villages of Jasdan, Gondal and Kotda-Sangani areas located near Rajkot.
They have killed cattle in Bildi, Vinjuvadi and Sanala villages in Gondal taluka and Bhadva village in Kotda-Sangani taluka of Rajkot district. Bhadva is about 25 km away from Rajkot city. These lions are learnt to have come from Chandgadh area in Amreli.
In October 2008 too, a lioness and three cubs were spotted near Gondal. They had killed cows in Panchiyavadar village.
The data analysis of direct and indirect evidence like sightings, prey and pugmarks show that lions are spread over 1,100 villages in three districts of Saurashtra.
At present, they occupy an area over 16,000 sq km in the districts of Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar.