Carnivores Spread Distemper to Lions

New research shows that dogs are no longer the primary source of a disease that has infected and killed lions in Tanzania. Canine distemper now appears to be spread mostly by other carnivores, such as hyenas, jackals and foxes. In 1994, about 30 percent of the lions in Serengeti National Park died from – what was then – a mysterious neurological disease. It was later identified as canine distemper. Veterinarian Felix Lankester said that “the dynamics of the distemper virus are...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 29 janvier 2015