Asiatic lion to spend life in zoo for killing 3 persons in W. India

In a plot straight out of a Hollywood animated movie, India has finally identified the killer after putting 17 Asiatic lions on trial for the brutal murder of three persons in the famous Gir forest in the western state of Gujarat in a span of one month.

A.P. Singh, chief conservator of forest (Junagadh division), said that out of the 17 lions captured by the forest officials last month, "one was a male adult and it turned out to be the main culprit."

"He has been identified and shifted to Sakkarbaug Zoo in Gujarat," he told the media Thursday.

Unravelling the plot, the forest official said that they found considerable amount of human remains in that lion's faeces, while very small amount was found from the faeces of two females.

"It brought us to the conclusion that the male lion attacked, killed and ate humans, while two other sub-adults only ate some leftover body parts. These female sub-adults were not involved in attacking and killing humans, as they only ate the leftover parts," Singh said.

He said that the male lion would be caged at the Junagadh zoo for its entire life, while all those rounded up for the probe will be released in deeper pockets of the sanctuary, far away from where they were captured.

The forest department had captured the 17 lions after three bodies with injury marks were found in Gir forest area. The victims were a 14-year-old boy, a 50-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man.

There are a little over 500 Asiatic lions in Gir forest. Endit