Lion kills two-year-old cub in Savarkundla village

12-04-2009
Lion kills two-year-old cub in Savarkundla village
Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Rajkot/Lion-kills-two-year-old-cub-in-Savarkundla-village-/articleshow/4390063.cms

AMRELI: A two-year-old lion cub was killed by an adult male lion in outskirts of Mekdi village of Savarkundla taluka of the district on Friday night. Foresters believe the killing was due to an infighting for feasting on a prey.

Locals of Mekdi village said, they heard continuous roaring of a lion throughout Friday night. On Saturday, villagers spotted the body of the cub. Sarpanch Bala Santhiya then alerted forest department officials. "We heard roars of a lion, which scared us. But, we didn't realise it was an infighting among the big cats," Santhiya said.

The 21-month-old male cub's body was shifted for post mortem by forest department officials to Nani Vadal Vidi by afternoon. Primary reports suggested, death occurred due to a rupture in the skull and serious injuries on the neck of the cub.

Officials also found the corpse of a neelgai lying 50 m away from the cub's body. According to foresters, they believe that an adult male must have preyed on the neelgai and while it was feasting on it, the cub must have interfered and refused to leave, resulting in the attack on it.

Injury marks on the cub also substantiate this theory, an official said, adding, a couple of years ago a lioness in the area gave birth to two males and a female. "The dead cub is one of them. However, the adult lion which killed the cub could not have been its father as lions generally don't kill their offspring."

"It appears that the attack must have been very vicious as the damage was severe," the official said.