The source of the epidemic was probably the domestic dogs belonging to villagers living near the park, Munson said. An outbreak of distemper among these dogs, most of which are not vaccinated, preceded the lion epidemic, she said. Munson, whose work is primarily funded by a faculty research grant from UT, says she does not know why the virus suddenly extended its range of hosts and became fatal to lions. She is part of an international research team tracking the virus globally to see if it has affected other species of carnivores. African government officials have implemented a program to vaccinate domestic dogs near the Serengeti, Munson said.
Nature is a weekly international journal of science.