Gujarat: 5-year-old boy killed in lion attack in Amreli district

The boy — identified as Kishor Parmar — was asleep in an open area bordering the agricultural field of one Madhubhai Bachubhai in Uchaiya village, when he was attacked by the wild animal.

“The incident took place at around 1 am on Tuesday. After the parents did not find Kishor in his bed, they started searching for him. Forest officers were also alerted. Eventually, forest staff found Kishor’s partially eaten body in a forest patch called Bherai Vidi, around four kilometre away, at 6 am,” Dadbhai Dav, Assistant Sub-Inspector of Pipapav Marine Police station said.

The ASI investigating the case of accidental death further said that the boy’s family were residents of Lilapir ni Dhar area in Rajula town. “They had been camping in Uchaiya village for some time and working as labourers in agricultural fields in and around the village,” Dav said.

Forest officers said the boy had been killed by a lioness. “Movement of a lioness has been observed in the area where the incident took place. She also has two cubs. We do not know the circumstances under which the incident took place as it happened in the dark of night,” Dushyant Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh wildlife circle, told The Indian Express.

Shetrunji wildlife division is part of Junagadh wildlife circle. The CCF said that forest staff was trying to rescue to lioness suspected to have been involved in the incident. “Since there are cubs, we have put a ring cage in the area in an effort to rescue the lioness and her cubs,” he said.

Lionesses tend to remain aggressive when they are raising cubs, but Vasavada said that there were no reports of any harassment to the carnivores till Tuesday evening.

Asiatic lions are an endangered species. Its only wild population in the world survives in Gir forest and other protected areas spread over Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra region in Gujarat, as part of natural dispersal. Another wild lion population is found in Africa.