RAJKOT: The lioness which is suspected to have killed the five-year-old boy near Rajula on Tuesday has been captured by the forest department at around midnight of Tuesday. The cubs are also with the lioness and the trio have been sent to a local animal rescue centre for further tests.
According to forest department officials, the lioness was captured at the same place where it had allegedly dragged the child. There was a team of 20 officials engaged in the capture activity. After being caged, the lioness managed to jump out of the ring cage, but being a mother of two cubs she couldn’t desert her offsprings who were inside the cage. The officials then tranquilized the animal with the help of a veterinary doctor.
Deputy conservator of forest, Shetrunji range, Sandeep Kumar said, “We will do scat analysis and other tests to confirm that this is the same lioness that had killed and also partly fed on the little boy.”
Kishor Devipujak, 5, was attacked by the lioness in the wee hours of Tuesday while he was sleeping in the open outside his hut in a farm on the railway track opposite Pipavav port. The lioness attacked the kid and dragged him for 3km before partially feeding on the body.
The incident happened sometime between 4am and 5am, 12 km from Rajula town. Kishore was sleeping in the open outside his hut in the farm, which is located along side a railway track that leads to the port. His parents work as farm labourers.
Forest officials suspect that the lioness may mistaken the boy to be some prey as she had killed a goat at the same place around two months ago. She was familiar with the people living around and couldn’t have been a man-eater.
According to forest department officials, the lioness was captured at the same place where it had allegedly dragged the child. There was a team of 20 officials engaged in the capture activity. After being caged, the lioness managed to jump out of the ring cage, but being a mother of two cubs she couldn’t desert her offsprings who were inside the cage. The officials then tranquilized the animal with the help of a veterinary doctor.
Deputy conservator of forest, Shetrunji range, Sandeep Kumar said, “We will do scat analysis and other tests to confirm that this is the same lioness that had killed and also partly fed on the little boy.”
Kishor Devipujak, 5, was attacked by the lioness in the wee hours of Tuesday while he was sleeping in the open outside his hut in a farm on the railway track opposite Pipavav port. The lioness attacked the kid and dragged him for 3km before partially feeding on the body.
The incident happened sometime between 4am and 5am, 12 km from Rajula town. Kishore was sleeping in the open outside his hut in the farm, which is located along side a railway track that leads to the port. His parents work as farm labourers.
Forest officials suspect that the lioness may mistaken the boy to be some prey as she had killed a goat at the same place around two months ago. She was familiar with the people living around and couldn’t have been a man-eater.
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