Image by kongsak sumano via ShutterStock - India police had gathered up 18 lions; all are suspects for murdering three people from Gujarat, a dry state in western India
- Any of the lions who will be found guilty will be sentenced to spend its life in a zoo cage
- Those lions in custody had undergone tests, like paw-prints and fecal examination, so that police can rule out who the culprit is of the murders
GUJARAT, India – India police had gathered up 18 lions; whereby all are suspects for murdering three people from Gujarat, a dry state in western India.
Max Bearak mentioned in his article for The Washington Post that any of the lions who will be found guilty will be sentenced to spend its life in a zoo cage.
Those lions in custody had undergone tests like paw-prints and fecal examination, so that the police can rule out who the culprit is.
“The officials are also studying the animals’ behavior. Man-eating lions usually get aggressive at the sight of a human being,” said wildlife expert Ruchi Dave as quoted by Prashant Dayal in his article for BBC News.
Gujarat’s top forest official J.A. Khan said they believe they have already pinpointed the guilty lion, but still waiting for the results of nine more animals just to make sure.
Once the “guilty animal” is identified, the lion will be transferred to a zoo while the others will be released back into the wild.
As humans have started settling in the lion’s natural habitat, the endangered species seem to make more contact with humans in the recent years. Those contact generally don’t end well, as either of both sides end up being murdered.
According to records, there are only around 400 Asiatic lions left in the wild. Asiatic lions are unique as they are the only lion that can be seen outside of Africa.
Wildlife officials say that the lions’ sanctuary in Gujarat, the Gir National Park, can only accommodate 270; hence, others venture outside its boundaries.
The Supreme Court of India recently ordered Gujarat to relocate some of its lions to other states; however, the state has yet to comply.
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