The two-day march started at Dedakiyali village adjoining Gir on January 28 and covered the villages of Ambala, Amarapur, Sarkari, Jalodar, Dudhala, Vadiya, Bhojde and Dhamlej before culminating at Veraval city a day later, with people extending their unflinching support towards saving the big cats.

Assistant Conservator of Forest (Girnar Range) P S Babaria said, "The march started from Dedakiyali village where around 1,500 people had assembled. We appealed to them to cover the parapet-less wells, to remove live wired fences, as also to remain alert while dealing with interstate labourers."

He said the message of saving the lions, which are "invaluable ornaments of this region" was well received by the villagers. As such, without the support of the local people, particularly villagers, the Forest Department would not be able to preserve them, he said.

Members of the Kodinar-based NGO, Prakriti Parivar Trust, also joined the march and played an active role in creating awareness about the lions.

Dinesh Goswami, the trust president, said, “The march was mainly aimed at connecting our culture with nature. People here strongly believe in their religion and value their culture. So, to spread our message, we concentrated on the strong values of our culture and religion.”