Indian man in jail for teasing lioness with chicken

An Indian man has been jailed for teasing a lioness with a chicken.

A video that surfaced on October 25 shows him dangling a chicken before a lioness who begs for the bird. After taunting the lioness a few times he finally lets her have the chicken.

As she grabs it, he even manages to pet the lioness.

A senior Indian forest official said the man in the video, Haliyar Hoth of Jhalkha village, had teased the lioness in Gir Somnath forest range of Gujarat, India – the last home of Asiatic lion.

Haliyar was arrested and jailed in May 2018 after he was involved in several similar incidents.

Teasing an Asiatic lion’s attention is illegal in India and violators can be sentenced up to seven years in prison.

While the video is a few months old, many villagers in Gir continue to put up illegal shows for the entertainment of tourists, said the official.

The influx of tourists is also transforming the behaviour of lions, who are now used to easy meals and are turning docile, said the officer.