A lion has mauled a man to death in a forest in India, according to officials.
The animal killed the 55-year-old man in the district of Amreli, Gujarat, the westernmost state of India, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported, citing an official. The victim was identified as Kadubhai Bhilad.
Bhilad left his home in the village of Jira on Monday morning to relieve himself in the forest, Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests of the Indian city of Junagadh, told PTI.
Vasavada said a male lion, aged between three to five years, attacked Bhilad at around 6 a.m.. His remains were sent to Dhari civil hospital, where a postmortem examination will take place.
The Head of the Forest Force of the Government of Gujarat did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.
A lack of access to toilets in some parts of India means some people must relieve themselves outside. According to the World Bank, as of 2017 some 344 million people in India had to defecate outside. The figure fell by 55 percent between 2000 and 2017. An estimated 21 percent of communicable disease in India as linked to unsafe water and poor hygiene.
The World Health Organization aims for every person to have access to toilets where they can safely defecate by 2030. As part of its Swachh Bharat Mission, India's Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has built over 101 million household toilets to tackle the problem.
Earlier this month, a lion mauled a man to death in Kenya. The victim was identified as Rono Kipkirui Simion. A passerby discovered his head and arm following the attack outside Nairobi National Park.
Officials believe Simion was walking home after meeting friends on Friday, December 6, at around 10 p.m. when he encountered the lion. Simion did not turn up at work on the Sunday.
The Kenya Wildlife Service warned residents against walking at night until the animal is found.
The body said in a statement: "KWS is saddened by the tragic death of a gentleman who was killed by a lion on the southern periphery outside Nairobi National Park.
"Our team of rangers including a vet are searching for the lion to locate, dart and remove it from there. We are reaching out to the family of the deceased with a view to visiting and consoling with them. KWS urges members of the public to stay calm and not to venture out at night."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kashmira Gander is Deputy Science Editor at Newsweek. Her interests include health, gender, LGBTQIA+ issues, human rights, subcultures, music, and lifestyle. Her ... Read more
