A cattle herder in India survived after a lioness pinned him to the ground for almost half an hour without killing him. The encounter captured on video shows the subadult lioness sitting on Kalu Parmar, the herder, as he lies motionless beneath her while villagers shout and throw stones in an attempt to scare it away. No one knows why the lioness chose not to launch a fatal attack. Wildlife experts say that a single bite would almost certainly have killed the man. But Parmar believes calmly stroking the animal may have saved his life.
The incident happened on Monday morning in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where Asiatic lions roam freely in parts of the region. The lioness reportedly entered a village after making a kill nearby the previous day. Before attacking the man, she is also said to have confronted another resident, who escaped when a buffalo got between them. The lioness pinned the herder to the ground with one of her forelegs and repeatedly forced him back down whenever he tried to get up. Despite the terrifying ordeal, she never bit him, leaving him with claw injuries instead.
Parmar said: “I was going to feed my cattle when the lioness suddenly attacked me from behind. The big cat caught hold of my hand and did not let me go for a long time.”
He was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a specialist hospital for further treatment.
The viral footage has drawn widespread attention because of the man’s remarkable composure. Rather than struggling, he remained still and gently stroked the lioness, apparently in an attempt to calm her. Another lion could also be seen walking around nearby during the incident.
Karmasinh Chauhan, a village leader, said: “This was the first time a lion attacked a villager, though we have a sizeable population of big cats in the hilly area nearby.”
He added: “Kalu told us he could not believe his luck. When the lioness sat on him, he thought it was the end. He immediately started patting it, hoping the animal would let him go.”
Chauhan also said: “A buffalo came between the villager and the lioness, and that is how the man and his mother survived.”
Residents said they had repeatedly warned forestry officials about lions entering the village over several years and had called for measures to prevent further encounters.
A forestry official said: “Villagers chased and threw stones at the animal, leaving her agitated. Kalu went to rescue his cattle, which were near the lioness, and was attacked.”
Officials have since identified the lioness and deployed teams equipped with tranquilliser guns to capture her.
Senior researchers at India’s Wildlife Institute described the behaviour as highly unusual, noting that lions rarely spare people once they are in such close contact. One researcher suggested the lioness may have been familiar with the village and possibly accustomed to being fed there.
The incident came as another man in the same region was left in hospital with serious leg injuries after being attacked by a lion while sleeping outside his home the previous night, The Times of India reports.
