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Lions Detained, Caged In Connection To Murder In India

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

Josh Hamburger Contributor
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After the gruesome murder of three people, Indian officials have found 18 suspects that stand out. However, these aren’t usual suspects: Instead, they’re all lions.

As the result of the attack, Gujarat officials, have captured and “arrested” these wild animals in order to determine which one is guilty, forest official JA Khan said, according to the BBC. They are currently being held in separate cages and any one of them could face life in a zoo if discovered to be the killer.

Currently, only some of the lions have been fully tested and analyzed, which includes examining their feces and pug mark — the equivalent of a footprint. Additionally, how they act while being observed should provide further visual evidence.

“Man eating lions usually get aggressive at the sight of a human being,” Ruchi Dave, a wildlife expert said.

One official believes that they have found their killer lion, but they cannot be certain until they finish testing all of them. The rounding up of the lions has been going on for two months prior.

While one lion will be confined in a zoo, the others will be sent back into the wild in Gir, a sanctuary, to live free. However, some experts, including Govind Patel, believe that too many lions in the area could be affecting the behavior of these animals.

“Gir can accommodate only 270 lions,” Patel told The Indian Express. “Therefore, new prides have made their homes outside the protected forest.”

The threat of disease or other tragedies in the area caused the Supreme Court to rule for officials to help move some of the lions elsewhere. But the local government has yet to take any actions on the matter.