Daring Farmer Reportedly Fights Off Lion with Nothing but a Stick in Order To Save Beloved Calf
A farmer from western India is being credited for his bravery in confronting a lion that was trying to kill a calf from the farmer’s herd of cattle.
The courageous man, Vadher, keeps a small farm near western India’s Gir Forest.
He told the Daily Mail that he heard a commotion outside in the middle of the night and rushed outside to see what was happening.
Vadher likely already knew what to expect, as he told the Daily Mail that lions regularly attempt to attack his cattle.
Sure enough, Vadher rushed outside to find his cattle stampeding through the yard, away from a prowling lion.
Farmer chases off a LION using just a stick to defend himself as the predator attacked his cows in India https://t.co/CXLMJlV1KH
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 19, 2019
The adult cattle were able to rush away from danger, but a young calf was not so fortunate.
Security footage shows the split-second that the calf tried to follow the herd, but was instantly snatched up by a lion.
Vadher, armed with only a stick, hurled the weapon at the lion’s head. To his relief, the lion dropped the calf and ran away.
“The stick hit the lion on his head, he dropped the calf and jumped the boundary wall out of my house,” Vadher told the Daily Mail. “It is just five months old and very dear to my heart. I couldn’t help attacking the lion on seeing it grab the calf by its neck.”
He went on to explain that this lion was not the first to creep into his yard overnight.
“Lions attack our animals once every two days,” Vadher said. “There are four lions living in our village — living with big cats has become a way of life.”
According to a BBC News article published in 2018, approximately 523 endangered lions live in the Gujarat region, including western India’s Gir Forest, where they are known to leave the forest and visit nearby farms in search of cattle.
Vadher’s willingness to face the lion on behalf of a vulnerable calf paints a vivid picture of what The Bible says about the way Jesus, the Good Shepherd, pursues us.
The Bible’s book of John 10:11-15 (CEV) reads, “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.”
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