Gujarat: 5-year-old boy mauled to death by lioness in Gir

A five-year-old boy was mauled to death by a lioness in Gir forest area of Gujarat's Amreli district, an official said on Tuesday. The incident took place between Uchaiya and Bhachadar villages located near Rajula range of Gir forest around Monday midnight when the lioness, accompanied by her cubs, dragged away the boy from a shanty, he said.

"The lioness and her cubs partially ate the body. The victim's remains were later found scattered in the area," the forest department official said. The boy's father is a farm labourer who lived and worked at the site where the incident took place, he said.

Forest staff have placed a cage near the site to capture the feline, he added. On December 23 last year, a 55-year-old man was mauled to death by a lion near his house in Jira village under Dalkhaniya range of Gir forest division in Amreli.