An 18-year-old man was dragged away and eaten by two lions when he was on his way home with his family in the state of Gujarat, North West India. This is reported by several Indian media, among others Mirror Now.
The lions, which are said to have been a male and a female lion, jumped out from the bushes and attacked the man from behind.
The incident must have happened in the evening of 23 June.
– Our employees arrived at the scene quickly, but by that time the victim had already died. We could only secure a few body parts of the victim, which suggests that the lions had already eaten the victim, says Rajdeepsinh Jhala, deputy conservator of the shoe, to Mirror Now.
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“Very aggressive”
The body parts of the 18-year-old have been taken to the town of Khambha for an autopsy, and the death is being ruled an accident, according to Indian Express.
According to Jhala, it is not common for people to be attacked by lions in the area. When the forest conservators tried to get control of the lions, they had shown “very aggressive behaviour”
– After we failed to lure the two big cats, we stunned the male lion early on Sunday morning and rescued him. We have also located the lioness, and work is underway to catch her, says Jhala to Mirror Now.
The lions are said to have come from the Gir forest animal reserve. According to information from 2020, around 400 Asiatic lions live in the forest, and it is the only natural habitat for Asiatic lions in the world, according to the newspaperNewsweek.
In the past, there were far more lions in the forest, but their numbers have decreased due to hunting and extreme weather conditions, such as drought.
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Woman killed by leopard
Lions are very keen to stay within their territory. Conservationists from the reserve claim that the Gir forest has become overcrowded, meaning lions can stray away from their habitat.
This could potentially lead to the lions venturing into populated areas and coming into direct contact with humans.
Earlier in July, an 80-year-old woman was also attacked and killed by a Leopard that had entered her village after straying from the Gir forest, according to the newspaperThe Tribune India.
Villagers are said to have reacted as soon as they heard the woman’s screams, but the woman died from the extensive injuries.