Sloth bear kills and eats couple in "very unusual" attack in Indian forest

New Delhi — A sloth bear mauled a couple to death in a forest in central India's Madhya Pradesh state last weekend and then spent hours eating their remains in a gruesome attack that wildlife conservationists say was unusual for the species. While sloth bear attacks on people are relatively common, they are not generally known to feed on human flesh.

The attack took place on Sunday when a man and his wife were returning home from a temple visit early in the morning. The sloth bear first attacked the woman as the couple walked through the Panna National Park forest, killing her. Her husband was killed when he tried to rescue his wife.

Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Sharma was quoted by India's NDTV network as saying the attack happened around 6:30 in the morning after the couple went "to offer prayers at a temple" in the area.