Indian forest officials have arrested seven men for conducting illegal lion shows where a three-year-old lioness was trained to take treats like a dog.<br /><br />One of accused had allegedly spotted the lioness in his farm in Gir-Gadhada, Gujarat when she was a cub and had managed to train her. <br /><br />A video of the illegal lion performance shows him entertaining a guest by dangling a chicken before the lioness. He taunts the animal by holding back the bird as she salivates. <br /><br />A woman in the background warns them not to tease the animal saying she may attack. But the man says he is not afraid. <br /><br />Finally, he throws the chicken and the lioness grabs it.<br /><br />Chief conservator of forests and wildlife, D T Vasavada, said: “The lion is not attacking them as she is perhaps used to getting food like this. <br /><br />"It also shows that such activity is routine for them."<br /><br />The video was found on the mobile phones of the men, who were arrested on May 19. It became public on June 6.<br /><br />Lion expert Mayank Bhatt said: “Conducting illegal lion shows to entertain tourists is a thriving business in the area. Touts offer close encounters with lions and the tourists fall for that unmindful of the risk.”<br /><br />Gir forest area in Gujarat is the only remaining home of the Asiatic lions, whose numbers stand at just 650 wild individuals according to a 2015 census.
