Gujarat lion deaths: What killed 11 big cats?

Pedro_P

▼ Forestry officials in India say they are investigating the unusual deaths of 11 Asiatic lions in the western state Gujarat over the last fortnight.
The Asiatic lion was listed as endangered in 2008 - an improvement on a critically endangered listing in 2000 - after numbers increased in the state's Gir forest.
But the death of such a large number of lions in a short period highlights the intense competition between the animals in the Gir sanctuary, home to hundreds of lions.
What happened to the lions?
It remains unclear but officials mainly suspect that a group of lions from a different area killed them in a battle over territory.
They are fairly certain that this is what happened to at least eight of the 11, including three cubs.
Forest official GK Sinha told reporters at least three adult male lions from another area entered a range in the forest and killed the cubs, in what he described as "infighting".
"This is a natural course of action among lions," he said. What killed the remaining three lions is unknown.
Wildlife conservationist Rajan Joshi told BBC Gujarati that he suspected Canine distemper virus (CDV) - carried by domestic dogs - may have played a role in the deaths. But officials said medical tests during the post mortem of the dead cats had not found any evidence of the virus.
The virus was first described at the beginning of the 20th Century and has been cited as contributing to the demise of the thylacine (commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger due to the black stripes on its back).
Lions are the only truly social cats, with related females living together in prides overseen by male coalitions that compete for possession in fierce and often fatal battles. They move quickly at night to look for prey and shelter.
Both prey - mainly deer and abandoned cattle in Gujarat - and shelter - jungles, farms and orchards - are widely dispersed in unprotected areas outside the sanctuaries.
How many lions are found in Gujarat? (▪ ▪ ▪)

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