Lion vomits human remains in captivity. Girnar Hill child pilgrim’s killer beast caught: Report

A Girnar Hill pilgrimage turned disastrous for a Gujarati family when their 11-year-old boy was taken by a lion early Sunday morning. Body parts of the child were later found during search and rescue operations, and the authorities captured three lions from the area, local media reports said.

A lion captured about two hours after the child was taken later vomited in custody. There were suspected human parts in the discharge, media reports said. As a result, the pilgrimage was reportedly suspended as a joint operation involving multiple departments was launched.

The incident took place around 5:45 am near the 50th step of the pilgrimage route. There were hundreds of pilgrims in the vicinity when the lion appeared from the wild to attack and drag the child away, NDTV said in a report.

The child, who reportedly hailed from Modaj village in Kheda district, was confirmed dead as body parts were recovered from a spot around 100 metres away in the forest where the beast disappeared. The recovered body parts were sent for forensic examination, NDTV said.

As the authorities swung into action, the lion that vomited in custody was captured along with two others later. It was not known if all of them belonged to the same pride.

The Girnar Hill pilgrimage is significant to Hindus, Jains and Nath yogis, making it a rare multi-faith sacred site. The most revered shrine is the Dattatreya Temple at the highest accessible peak within the Gir Forest, and a vertical climb of 9,999 stone steps is the most holy part of the pilgrimage.