Lion attacks 12-year-old boy in Jafrabad village

Rajkot: A 12-year-old boy was injured after a lion attacked him in a mango orchard in Mota Mansa village of Jafrabad taluka in Amreli district Monday morning.
Forest officials said that the boy identified as Munna Vaghela was helping his father Bharat Vaghela who had taken up the contract of plucking mangoes from trees in the orchard.
Nisha Raj, deputy conservator of forest Shetrunji range said, “The lion must have been resting in the orchard but it was not known to the boy. While picking up mangoes in the orchard the lion and boy all of sudden came face to face and as per a wild animal’s basic instinct, the lion attacked the boy.”
The boy suffered injuries on his face and head and is admitted in Jafrabad government hospital. Boy’s father Bharat Vaghela said, “I saw my son being dragged by the lion so I started screaming for help. I had a stick in my hand which I used to scare away the lion.”
With lion population increasing, many of them have moved out of forest area and are often spotted in mango orchards near the forest areas. Also, because the orchards are cooler lions come to rest there during summer.