Even in times of abundance cubs may starve if all the kills are small. If a pride is taken over by a new male who has defeated the top resident male, he will most likely kill any existing cubs that are under 2 years old. This rapidly brings the females into breeding condition, ensuring that the strongest male gets to breed and continue his genetic line. The average lifespan of a lion in the wild is up to 16 years. In captivity, they often live 10 years beyond that.
Hyenas travel long distances and mix with other predators at kills.
A vaccination program was set up for 10,000 dogs in villages surrounding the parks to stop the disease at its source. There is an ongoing program for vaccinating the dogs, to prevent parvo virus, rabies and canine distemper which can all be passed to wild animals.