British tourists are paying more than £100 to watch endangered Asian lions kill tethered cattle at an Indian wildlife reserve.
According to local officials, some visitors eat lunch at dining tables as they watch cows and buffalo being devoured.
Animal welfare groups have expressed outrage, saying such gruesome displays break the law and are not only cruel to cattle but also put the lions in jeopardy by bringing them closer to humans. They blame western tourists for encouraging the practice.
According to conservationists, the shows are being organised by tour guides and farmers in collusion with junior park officials.
To ensure that tourists do not go home disappointed, tour guides are offering “baitwalla shows”, in which the lions are lured out of the forest towards villages on the outskirts of their sanctuary by cattle tied to tractors.
When the lion picks up the scent, the cow is dragged towards the tour group waiting close by and finally untied so that the tourists can watch it being caught, killed and eaten from as little as 10ft away.
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