Gujarat: Toddler mauled to death by a wild animal in Gir forest region

A three-year-old boy was mauled to death by a wild animal, suspected to be a lion, at a village in Gir forest region in Gujarat's Amreli district, an official from the forest department said on Friday.

The child's remains were found on a field this morning, not far from where he was attacked when he was walking with his family members at Ghanshyamnagar village of Savarkundla range in Gir (East) division forest on Thursday evening, the official said.

"The incident occurred around 6 pm on Thursday, when a family of migrant farm labourers from Madhya Pradesh were walking home. The boy was attacked and dragged away by a wild animal, most probably a lion," deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Gir (East), Rajdeepsinh Zala said.

As per the version given by residents and pug marks at the scene, the animal that killed the boy was a lion. However, the department cannot ascertain whether it was a lion or a leopard, he said.

"Forest officials scanned the entire area last night and this morning. They found remains of the boy on the other side of the farmland in the village," Zala said.

At least four to five cages have been placed in the area to trap the lion or leopard that killed the boy, he said.