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So many deaths being attributedto a virus is a first in many years
While Gujarat officials are grappling with the death of 21 lions in the last month, wildlife experts say that more than the numbers it’s the fear of a mutation in a virus as the likely cause of deaths that’s perturbing. In 1994, the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) was responsible for an epidemic in the Serengetti region of Africa, where 1,000 lions died in 3 weeks. While the virus abounds in local tiger populations in Gujarat and is linked to deaths every year, this year it has seen a spike. This is the first time in years, that so many deaths have been attributed to the virus, said Y.S. Jhala, a senior scientist, an expert on lions, at the Wildlife Institute of India.
“Rumours are that it maybe a new mutation… that may have jumped a host from dogsto lions. But it’s still to be confirmed,” he said in a phone conversation. The last lion census in 2015 recorded 523 individuals and with a 3% growth, there were about 600 at present, said H.S. Singh, a member of the National Board for Wildlife. However, every year 80-90 lions died due to various causes. “For members in the cat family, a 20% (annual) death rate would still see the species’ overall numbers increase,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu . Last year there were 100 deaths and before that 80, he added. Because many of the Gir lions live outside protected areas and are in contact with domestic dwellings, their susceptibility to new pathogens has risen, he said.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/mutated-virus-may-have-killed-gujarat-lions/article25127932.ece
