Poachers killed three highly endangered Asiatic lions in their only remaining sanctuary in western India, removing their claws and bones and raising fears for the future of these rare cats, wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Rangers at the Gir National Park in the state of Gujarat found the mutilated bodies of two lionesses and a cub on Saturday deep within the park, said Bharat Pathak, the park's conservation officer.

The poachers left the pelts of the lions, taking their claws, bones and skulls which are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine raising fears that a professional gang of poachers was behind the killings, said Pathak.

"This is of particular importance because it happened right inside the park," said Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.