Amreli, Sep 8 (IANS): A lioness has fatally mauled a five-year-old girl at Halariya village in Amreli district, located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

The young girl was sleeping outdoors with her parents on the outskirts of the village on September 7 night. In a silent and swift attack, the lioness snatched the child whose lifeless body was later found by the forest department personnel.

Efforts are currently underway to locate and capture the lioness responsible for the attack, as the region has witnessed an alarming increase in lion-related incidents, resulting in both fatalities and injuries.

Meanwhile, Gir statistics indicate a concerning trend, with an average of one human death for every 100 lions and two deaths for every 100 leopards reported over the past two years. This surge in lion attacks is particularly worrisome given the dense human population residing within the sanctuary and the rising number of lions venturing beyond its protected boundaries.

Data further reveals a stark rise in human deaths caused by lion attacks, with 150 per cent increase from two deaths in 2021 to five deaths in 2022. Although the number of injuries sustained decreased by 9.5 per cent, dropping from 21 in 2021 to 19 in 2022, the situation remains a cause for concern.

In contrast, incidents involving leopards witnessed a decline in human deaths by 20 per cent, decreasing from 15 in 2021 to 12 in 2022. Similarly, injuries resulting from leopard attacks also decreased by 20 per cent, with 105 injuries reported in 2021 as compared to 84 in 2022.