CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The government has always classified death due to disease as natural death, ” said an expert. Canine distemper spreads from dogs to cattle and water bodies. Rotting cattle meat, allegedly transported to Gir to feed the lions, is considered to be the major cause of CDV.

Detailed explanation-2: -In particular, 88% of male lion deaths were a result of humans with the majority (65%) of deaths occurring through trophy hunting. In contrast, 67% of female lion deaths were a result of humans with the largest proportion (30%) of deaths occurring through snaring.

Detailed explanation-3: -What is killing them? The lions succumbed to the deadly infection of canine distemper virus (CDV) and tick-borne babesiosis. The Gir sanctuary in Gujarat is the last habitat of the Asiatic lion of which 500-600 survive.

Detailed explanation-4: -A senior officer of Gujarat’s forest department said that the lion deaths were caused as a result of exposure to a protozoan parasite called babesia. It spreads due to mite bites and tick infestation. The disease is known as babesiosis.

Detailed explanation-5: -Lions were once widespread across Gujarat, but their numbers shrank to a mere dozen in the early 20th Century, mainly due to hunting and drought. Since then, conservation efforts have helped their population soar in the dry, deciduous Gir forests.