Hours after rescue, lioness that attacked 5 persons in Gujarat dies; rabies suspected

Hours after rescue, lioness that attacked 5 persons in Gujarat dies; rabies suspected Tissue samples sent to agricultural university for tests, forest dept notes 'no cause for worry'.

Key points

• The lioness was afterwards shifted to Krankach Animal Care Centre, where it demonstrated "unusual behaviour", such as biting and unusual vocalisations.
• A LIONESS has died of suspected rabies in Amreli district after it was rescued last week after separate attacks on five persons.
• All the five persons injured after being attacked by the lioness earlier have been administered anti-rabies vaccine as per standard medical protocol, officers remarked.

What happened

All the five persons injured after being attacked by the lioness earlier have been administered anti-rabies vaccine as per standard medical protocol, officers remarked. (File/Representational image).

Notably, a LIONESS has died of suspected rabies in Amreli district after it was rescued last week after separate attacks on five persons. Samples of its brain tissues have been sent to Anand Agriculture University for confirmation, a senior forest department officer remarked on Monday.

In practice, the lioness – aged 2-3 years – was rescued on October 2 from Arjunsukh village in Amreli after it injured five persons in separate incidents: Four villagers and a forest department officer. The lioness was afterwards shifted to Krankach Animal Care Centre, where it demonstrated "unusual behaviour", such as biting and unusual vocalisations. Within around 20 hours of its rescue, the lioness died at the centre on October 3, forest officers remarked.

The bottom line

For now, hours after rescue, lioness that attacked 5 persons in Gujarat dies; rabies remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.