Forest officials have launched a hunt for four bikers, who chased a pride of lions in Gujarat, India.
Two men on a bike drove behind a lion and a lioness in an open field as the animals ran frantically to escape.
Two other men followed them from a distance filming the cruel incident on a mobile camera. One of them, in a yellow shirt, can be heard saying in Gujarati that he was scared and would not join the chase.
The video caused outrage among wildlife activists, who said the men seriously endangered the animals.
Chief conservator of forest (CCF), Junagadh Wildlife Circle, A P Singh, said: “We are probing the incident and tracing the registration number of the bike to catch the accused."
Mayank Bhatt of Save Asiatic Lion Campaign said the incident had taken place at Amreli and possibly just a week ago.
“The bike registration number GJ-03 shows that the men are from Rajkot,” he said.
Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, the only home of Asiatic lions, has over 500 of these majestic animals.
“Most lions grow up in the proximity of trackers, who are appointed by the government to keep an eye on them. They are used to humans and do not attack them. There are some miscreants who try to abuse this trust,” Bhatt said.
In a similar incident, a car had been filmed chasing a cub in June this year. Officials had arrested four men from the nearby Bhavnagar after the video had sparked off widespread outrage.
