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A five-year-old boy was mauled to death by a lioness in Gujarat's Amreli district, a forest official said on Thursday.

The incident occurred in Chaturi village of Khambha Taluka when the animal attacked the child while he was walking near the village with his father. A lioness suddenly appeared, attacked them and dragged the boy away, sparking panic across the area.

Upon information, Khambha Forest Department personnel arrived at the scene and launched a rescue operation for the child. Late at night, the Forest Department team intensified the search operation and combed the surrounding areas. After an extensive search, the child's body was found around one kilometre away from the scene.

A lioness suspected of involvement in the incident has been captured. Although villagers breathed a sigh of relief after the lioness was caught, an atmosphere of fear persists in the area.

Assistant conservator of forests, Kapil Kumar Bhatia, said "Two wild animals were present near the scene. One lioness has been tranquilised and caged, while a rescue operation is underway since last night to capture the second animal."

The incident has triggered anxiety and fear across the entire district and villagers are demanding enhanced security measures and effective action from the Forest Department.

According to forest officials, lions are increasingly venturing towards human settlements due to their rising population in the Gir forest region and the shrinking forest area, leading to a rise in direct conflicts with humans. There has been an increase in lion attacks in Jafrabad, Kovaya, and Bagsara areas over the past few years, posing significant challenges for the Forest Department.

On June 16, a lion mauled to death a 30-year-old man at Wadi in Mahuva taluka in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district. He was missing for a few days and his body parts were recovered by the police. Officials said investigation revealed that he had been killed either by a lion or a pride of lions.

On March 11, a five-year-old boy was dragged and mauled to death by a lioness in Dhari taluka of Amreli district.

On February 16, a 45-year-old woman was killed in a lioness attack in Amreli district. The woman was watering a mango orchard near a river when a lioness attacked her. Villagers managed to rescue her but she died on way to the hospital.