Sloth bear feasts on remains of couple for hours

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A sloth bear killed a man and woman in India before feasting on their remains for hours.

The attack took place at a nature reserve on Sunday, as the couple walked back from a temple, authorities said.

On their way home from Khermai temple, Mukesh Rai and his wife Gudiya, aged 43 and 39 respectively, were walking through a forest in Panna, a district of central Indian state Madhya Pradesh, when they encountered a sloth bear.

The Times of India has reported that the bear "tore their bodies apart," and proceeded to devour their remains for at least four hours before the police and forest department arrived.

Sloth bears are native to South Asia, and are rarely seen outside of Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. They are around the same size as the American black bear, and can grow to weights of up to 124 kg (273 lb) in females and 192 kg (423 lb) in males.

Curiously, sloth bears are rarely seen where humans have settled, and usually subsist on a mostly vegetarian diet.

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