A sloth bear mauled a husband and wife to death in an Indian forest before spending hours playing with their bodies.
The terrifying incident happened in a forest in central India's Madhya Pradesh state, and has been described as "very unusual" by experts.
A forestry official told CBS News that the animal continued disturbing the couple's bodies - but didn't feed on the people it killed, contrary to witness reports from earlier that week.
Even though human encounters with sloth bears are relatively common in that part of the world, fatal attacks are rare.
It would be "very unusual" for the animals to feed on human flesh, an expert said.
The bear died about two hours after it was captured, Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Sharma confirmed.
A medical examination confirmed earlier reports that the bear was rabid.
However, it was not found to have ingested human remains.
The attack took place on June 5 when a man and his wife were returning home from a temple visit at around 6.30am.
The sloth bear attacked and killed the woman first as the couple walked through the Panna National Park forest.
Her husband was then killed as he tried to rescue his wife from the clutches of the bear, CBS reports.
The couple who died were identified as Mukesh Rai, 43, and his wife Gudiya, 39, according to The Times of India.
Neha Sinha, a conservation biologist and author, told CBS News that sloth bears typically feast on honey and insects, labelling this attack as "very unusual".
Sinha added: "Generally there is conflict during mahua season, when people go to collect flowers and the bears are feeding."
Some villagers reportedly gathered at the spot and tried to scare the bear away by firing gunshots in the air.
But the tactic failed, according to eyewitness reports.
The mahua is a tree that grows across different parts of South Asia, and it flowers in the late spring and early summer.
The flowers are highly sought after by both people and sloth bears, with local residents often going into the forests to collect the flowers around this time of year.
According to National Geographic, sloth bears are solitary creatures and are generally nocturnal.
They grow up to six feet in length and males can weigh up to 310 pounds.
Females, meanwhile, weigh up to 210 pounds.
When threatened, sloth bears often respond by standing on their hind legs and displaying their foreclaws.
Sloth bears feed predominantly on termites and ants, as well as fruit and flowers.
They are known to knock down bee honeycomb from trees, earning the the nickname honey bears.
They are considered vulnerable animals and are under threat by habitat loss.
Sometimes, the bears are captured and used in performances, or hunted due to their aggressive behaviour and destruction of crops.
The highest prevalence of sloth bear attacks across India were in the Madhya Pradesh state, according to a study published in March.
Regional authorities said the pair's family would be given 400,000 Indian rupees - equivalent to £4,190 - in compensation for their loss.
