Eight lions on the prowl on Gujarat's streets. Why is the wild going viral?

It was safari-on-the-go for a few residents of Gujarat's Junagarh on Tuesday when they spotted a pride of eight lions strolling their streets. In a video captured by a local resident, which has now gone viral, a group of majestic Asiatic lions are seemingly enjoying a late-night prowl. 

It comes as little surprise that the wild are spilling onto the streets. The Gir National Park can do little to keep the lions within their territory as the lions grow in numbers and tracts of the forest have been lost to rising human occupation.

The Junagarh spotting follows the pattern of recent lion sightings near the Gir region in Gujarat.

Three persons were killed by lions in the same area between March and May this year. A woman was also killed in the Gir Somnath district, known for its Asiatic lion population. In a separate incident, a man was severely injured by three lions in the Amreli, near Gir.

The fight between man versus wild frequently takes human lives and shunts our rich, endangered wildlife out of their habitat. The question that begs asking is, who are we prepared to protect?