Three lions kill woman in Amreli; one big cat caged

By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Updated: April 12, 2016 1:02 am

Three lions attacked a family when they were asleep and killed the mother. (File/Express Photo) An elderly woman was allegedly attacked and killed by Asiatic lions in Bharad village in Dhari taluka of Amreli late on Sunday night even as forest rangers caged one of the big cats within hours.
The incident took place 11:45 pm on Sunday when Labhu Solanki and a few others were asleep in the open on an agricultural field in Bharad village, some eight kilometres away from Dhari town and bordering Gir East forest. Labhu’s son Manju told police that three lions attacked them when they were asleep and killed her mother.

The big cats also ate away parts of the woman’s body, police said.

After coming to know about the incident, forest officers rushed to the spot and caged a sub-adult lioness from the area. “Efforts are on to rescue other lions as well. A pride of 12 lions lives in the area. We shall match pug-marks found near the body of the woman with that of the caged lioness to ascertain if the one which has been caught killed the woman,” deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of Gir East, Karuppasamy told The Indian Express.
Police said that the woman, who is a native of Samadhiyala village in nearby Khambha taluka of Amreli was working as an agricultural labourer along with her family-members. This is second attack on human being by Asiatic lion in Amreli in less than a month. A 54-year-old labourer was killed allegedly by lions while he was sleeping in the open on an agricultural field in Ambardi village of Dhari on March 19.
“It is unusual for lions to attack human beings and eat their bodies. The labourers in Bharad village were sleeping on the ground with their bodies wrapped in blankets. Therefore, we suspect, the lions could have mistaken the woman for some animal. The lioness which has been caged is around 1.5 year-old, the age when these cats learn hunting,” the DCF further said.
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After coming to know about the incident, forest officers rushed to the spot and caged a sub-adult lioness from the area. “Efforts are on to rescue other lions as well. A pride of 12 lions lives in the area. We shall match pug-marks found near the body of the woman with that of the caged lioness to ascertain if the one which has been caught killed the woman,” deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of Gir East, Karuppasamy told The Indian Express.
Police said that the woman, who is a native of Samadhiyala village in nearby Khambha taluka of Amreli was working as an agricultural labourer along with her family-members. This is second attack on human being by Asiatic lion in Amreli in less than a month. A 54-year-old labourer was killed allegedly by lions while he was sleeping in the open on an agricultural field in Ambardi village of Dhari on March 19.
“It is unusual for lions to attack human beings and eat their bodies. The labourers in Bharad village were sleeping on the ground with their bodies wrapped in blankets. Therefore, we suspect, the lions could have mistaken the woman for some animal. The lioness which has been caged is around 1.5 year-old, the age when these cats learn hunting,” the DCF further said.
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