Police have taken 18 lions into custody for the murder of three people in Gujarat, reports the BBC.
According to the report, the 'suspects' will have their paw prints taken and their feces will be tested as forest officials in Gujarat try to figure which among those 18 lions is the 'murderer'.
"The officials are also studying the animals' behavior," wildlife expert Ruchi Dave told the BBC.
Once they find out who is the 'guilty' one, that particular lion will be kept in a zoo for life while the others will be released back into the Gir sanctuary.
Gujarat's top forest official, JA Khan, told BBC that the lions had been "arrested" over the past two months and were now being held in separate cages while tests were carried out.
"We think we have pinpointed the guilty lion, but we are still awaiting the results of nine more animals," he added.
There are approximately 400 Asiatic lions left in the wild, and they are the only lion population outside of Africa, notes The Washington Post.
Wildlife officials say that Gir National Park, where almost all these lions live, can only accommodate 270 of them, leading some prides to venture outside its boundaries.
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According to the report, the 'suspects' will have their paw prints taken and their feces will be tested as forest officials in Gujarat try to figure which among those 18 lions is the 'murderer'.
"The officials are also studying the animals' behavior," wildlife expert Ruchi Dave told the BBC.
Once they find out who is the 'guilty' one, that particular lion will be kept in a zoo for life while the others will be released back into the Gir sanctuary.
Gujarat's top forest official, JA Khan, told BBC that the lions had been "arrested" over the past two months and were now being held in separate cages while tests were carried out.
"We think we have pinpointed the guilty lion, but we are still awaiting the results of nine more animals," he added.
There are approximately 400 Asiatic lions left in the wild, and they are the only lion population outside of Africa, notes The Washington Post.
Wildlife officials say that Gir National Park, where almost all these lions live, can only accommodate 270 of them, leading some prides to venture outside its boundaries.
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