This is the moment a man miraculously survived an attack from a lioness by stroking it to calm it down.
The shocking footage shows the cattle herder covered in blood as he tried to free himself from the big cat’s powerful grip.
Bystanders could be heard shouting and screaming, but no one dared approach the stricken man.
The lioness repeatedly bared her huge teeth and growled at the herdsman as he remained pinned beneath her front legs. Local media reported he was trapped under the wild animal for nearly half an hour.
The savage attack took place on July 6 in Garajiya village, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India.
The big cat pounced on local man Kalubhai Boghabhai Gamara, knocking him to the ground before clawing at his leg.
Bystanders threw stones and shouted in a bid to scare the huge feline away, but to no avail.
The man instead pet the animal in a successful attempt to calm it down.
The cattle herder was covered in blood as he tried to free himself from the big cat’s powerful grip
The man managed to get himself free of the lioness’ grip by stroking it to calm down
He was trapped by the wild animal for nearly 30 minutes
As a result, the lioness eventually retreated towards the nearby forest of her own accord.
Kalubhai was rushed to a hospital in Palitana with serious injuries to several parts of his body. His treatment is ongoing.
He said in an interview with local media: ‘I was going to feed my cattle when the lioness suddenly attacked me from behind and pulled me down. She caught hold of my hand and did not let me go for a long time.’
The Palitana Wildlife Range appeared to blame local villagers for the attack, saying in a statement that they ‘started screaming after sighting presence of a lion resulting in the lion trying to run away causing injury to one person’.
Gujarat’s Kathiawar peninsula is the only surviving natural habitat of Asiatic lions. According to 2025 estimates, there are 891 lions in the state.
Attacks by the big cats have reportedly been increasing in recent months.
On the night of 24 June, a five-year-old boy was mauled to death by a lioness in Amreli district while walking with his grandfather.
The forest department has reportedly launched a search to capture the lioness involved in the latest attack.
