Asked about the recent attacks by lions on human beings, the forest officer said: "We are trying to find out the reason for such an unusual behaviour of the wild cat." (Representational Image)
Highlights
- Second such instance on the periphery of the Gir wildlife sanctuary
- Forest officials trying to find out reason for such 'unusual behaviour'
- Efforts on to find the killer wild cat
A 50-year old woman was mauled to death by a lioness in Gujarat's Bharad village on Monday in a second such incident of lion killing a human on the periphery of the Gir lions sanctuary in last one month.
The attack took place in Dhari taluka of Amreli district in the state's Saurashtra region.
Labhuben Solanki, a migrant labourer, was sleeping with her family members in a mango orchard when a lioness dragged her into the nearby ravine. Her mutilated body was found barely half a kilometre away.
Dhari assistant conservator of forest (ACF) M.M. Muni said the woman's family members tried to save her by shouting but in vain.
"One of the three cubs of the lioness has been caged by the forest department while efforts to nab the killer beast are on," Mr Muni said.
Earlier on March 19, 62-year-old Jinabhai Parmar was mauled to death by a lion in a similar manner while he was asleep in the open at Ambariya village of the district.
Mr Muni said two lions were rounded up the next day and bones and a piece of cloth belonging to Parmar were found in the stool of one of them in the animal care center in Sasan. It meant the man was eaten up by lion.
Amreli district is home to over 170 Asiatic lions, according to the latest census conducted by the State Forest Department last year.
Asked about the recent attacks by lions on human beings, the forest officer said: "We are trying to find out the reason for such an unusual behaviour of the wild cat."
"Maybe hungry and thirsty lions get attracted to people sleeping in the open near a water body," he added.