Seven Asiatic Lion cubs die in suspected disease outbreak.

Seven Asiatic Lion cubs have died in the Gir Forest National Park in the last week of May 2026, with a number of extra deaths thought to have occurred in areas of the forest outside the park. Seventeen adult Lions from the same population have been taken into quarantine by park officials.

A female Asiatic Lion with a cub in the Gir Forest National Park. Priyank Dhami/Wikimedia Commons.

The initial cause of the deaths was thought likely to be Canine Distemper Virus, a single-stranded RNA Virus of the Family Paramyxoviridae (the family of Viruses that includes the agents which cause Measles and Mumps in Humans), which can spread from domestic Dogs to wild Mammals, with Big Cats being particularly vulnerable. An outbreak of Canine Distemper in the Gir Forest killed 11 Lions in less than a month in 2018, and an outbreak in the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh has killed four Tigers in April and May 2026.

However, it is now thought more likely that the Lions have been infected with Babesiosis, which is caused by Babesia spp., a type of Apicomplexan (single-celled parasitic Eukaryote) related to the Malaria parasite, Plasmodium. The Babesia is common in Deer, which make up a significant part of the diet of Asiatic Lions, although it can be spread to other species via biting Ticks. Like the Plasmodium parasite which causes Malaria, Babesia attacks the red blood cells, causing a similar illness to Malaria, with symptoms including anaemia and failure of the liver and kidneys. This can occasionally infect Humans, but is more commonly a problem for Cattle who can become infected if grazing in areas where Deer graze. In Lions, Babesiosis is particularly dangerous to cubs, with healthy adults usually able to shake off the infection.

Asiatic Lions are a sub-population of the Northern Lion, Panthera leo leo, which was once found across West, Central, and North Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, and the North Indian Plain. The Lions of Southern and East Africa are a separate subspecies, Panthera leo melanochaita. All surviving Asiatic Lions are found within a single population, the Gir Forest of southern Gujarat State, India. This population has been growing in recent years, with 350 Lions recorded in 2008 and 891 in 2025. However, like all Lions, Asiatic Lions are territorial, and with each pride needing a fairly large home range. Thus the recovery of the species means that they have spread beyond the Gir Forest National Park into the neighbouring Amreli and Bhavnagar districts, areas where they come into conflict with Human herders and farmers, presenting additional challenges for their conservation. Asiatic Lions are considered to be Endangered under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

See also...

Egyptologists uncover a trove of new animal mummies at Saqqara.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has revealed the discovery of a collection of new animal mummies and related artifacts discovered at the Saqqara Necropolis, to the south of Cairo, this year. The finds include about 100 statues, mostly of Cats, as well as Birds, Bulls, Scarab Beetles, a Mongoose, and several Gods and Goddesses. A large number of animal mummies were also uncovered, including Cats, Cobras, Crocodiles, Scarab Beetles, and three large Felids, two of which have been identified as Lion cubs about a metre in length, and the other three of which are still yet to be identified. This last find is particularly interesting as only one previous Big Cat has been found mummified in Egypt, a partial Lion also found at Saqqara in 2004.

A mummified Lion cub from the Saqqara Necropolis. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

The material also includes 73 statues of the God Osiris, eleven statues of the Lion-headed Goddess Sekhmet, six statues of Ptah-Soker, who was widely venerated by craftsmen, and a statue of the Goddess Neith, who was worshipped as the creator of all things in the city of Sais, capitol of Egypt during the 26th Dynasty (roughly 610-664 BC). The name of the 26th Dynasty Pharoah Psamtik I was also found on at least one artifact, further supporting the idea that these finds came from that period.

Cat mummies from the Saqqara Necropolis. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Lions kill at least three poachers in South African Reserve.

At least three suspected poachers have been killed by Lions on a game reserve in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Staff at the privately owned Sibuya Game Reserve in Kenton-on-Sea found badly mauled human remains, in an area of dense bush within the reserve, which appear to have come from at least three people, along with three pairs of shoes, which supports the idea that there were at least three men killed, and axes and high-powered riffles, which suggests that they were engaged in poaching.

A Lion on the Sibuya Game Reserve. Sibuya Game Reserve.

Lions are sometimes deliberately targeted by poachers within game reserves, as their bones are used in some traditional African medicine or traded in Asia as the more sort after bones of Tigers, but it is likely that if the victims were poaching in the park then they was looking for more conventional prey, such as antelope for eating or Rhinoceros or Elephant for their more widely traded horns and tusks, and that their encounter with the Lions was simply bad luck and/or lack of experience of hunting in Lion territory.

Lions are currently listed as Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, as they underwent a 43% decline in population globally during the period 1993-2014 (roughly three generations in Lion terms). This decline has largely been fuelled by habitat loss, combined with deliberate killing of the animals to protect Humans, and their livestock, expanding their range into the Lion's territory. However the species has actually undergone an increase in population size in four Southern African countries (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe), where large wildlife parks are heavily protected against incursion and poaching to protect other species.  

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Eleven Lions poisoned in Ugandan National Park.

Eleven Lions have been found dead in a suspected poisoning incident in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwest Uganda, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The animals, eight cubs and three adult females, were found in the park on Tuesday 10 April 2018, and were members of the Ishasha Pride, which was popular with tourists and film makers due to their habit of climbing trees, something which most Lions do only reluctantly. The animals had been partially eaten by Hyenas when they were discovered; Hyenas will sometimes attack and kill Lions, but their managing to overwhelm such a large group of Lionesses and nearly-grown cubs is highly unlikely, so deliberate poisoning by Humans is considered to be the most likely explanation for the deaths, and samples taken from the site have been sent for testing.

Two of the Lion cubs that died in a suspected poisoning incident in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda this week. Alex Braczkowski/National Geographic.

The poisoning of Lions and other predators is becoming increasingly common in East Africa, and results from the conflict between Cattle-herding communities and wildlife. There have been a number of incidents of Lions attacking Cattle close to the Queen Elizabeth National Park in recent years; Cattle are not allowed within the park, but local villagers sometimes graze them close to the boundary (or pass through it) where they are easy prey for the Lions. A number of wildlife groups have been running Lion awareness courses in villages in the area, but this does not appear to have been sufficient to prevent this weeks attack. Park authorities are now considering setting up a Cattle-exclusion zone around the park.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Lioness kills woman at South African nature reserve.

A 22-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a Lioness at a nature reserve in Gauteng Province, South Africa, on Tuesday 27 February 2018. The incident happened at the Dinokeng Game Reserve, which has featured in a number of TV documentaries aired internationally, when the as yet unnamed woman encountered a captive-reared animal that had escaped earlier that day. Captive-reared Lions lack the fear of Humans usually exhibited by Lions that have grown up in the wild, making them more dangerous to (and in more danger from) Humans than other Lions. For this reason captive-reared Lions are not usually released into the wild (some South African reserves use captive-reared Lions for canned hunts, in which tame animals are 'hunted' in enclosed areas, something that the Dinokeng Reserve's owner, Kevin Richardson, has actively campaigned against for many years).

A Lioness at the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng, South Africa. Dinokeng Game Reserve.

On this occasion the Lioness is understood to have been one of three animals being taken for a walk on an area of the reserve away from visitors by Richardson and anther park employee when she spotted an Impala and set of in pursuit of it. She later encountered the woman who was taking photographs outside of her vehicle about 2-2.5 km from the area where the Lioness last seen, having visited the reserve to see a friend on a work-placement there.

Lions are currently listed as Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, as they underwent a 43% decline in population globally during the period 1993-2014 (roughly three generations in Lion terms). This decline has largely been fuelled by habitat loss, combined with deliberate killing of the animals to protect Humans, and their livestock, expanding their range into the Lion's territory. However the species has actually undergone an increase in population size in four Southern African countries (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe), where large wildlife parks are heavily protected against incursion and poaching to protect other species. 

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Vultures and Lions poisoned outside Ruaha National Park, Tanzania.

The Ruaha Carnivore Project has reported a mass poisoning of Lions and Vultures close to the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, this week. The organisation investigated after receiving a warning from a radio collar on one of the Lions that the animal had died. They found the bodies of six Lions, the adult female with the collar, plus three female and two male subadults, close to a cow carcass which had apparently been poisoned before being scavenged by the animals. In addition to the Lions, a total of 74 dead Vultures were found at the site, along with four sick Birds which were taken to a treatment centre within the park; one of these Vultures subsequently died, but the remaining three appear to be doing well.

The body of a Lioness found close to the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, having apparently been poisoned. Ruaha Carnivore Project.

The poisoning of Lions and other predators is becoming increasingly common in Tanzania, and results from the conflict between Cattle-herding communities and wildlife. The population of Tanzania has risen from 25 million in 1990 to 56 million in 2016, prompting the expansion of agriculture and pastoral activities into new areas, provoking conflict with wildlife. Traditionally, predation of Cattle by Lions or other predators would have resulted in the hunting and killing of the animals, but with this now more heavily policed by the authorities, many communities have turned to poisoning as an alternative, in this instance leading to the deaths not only of the Lions, but also the Vultures, probably unintended victims.

The bodies of Vultures found close to the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, having apparently been poisoned. Ruaha Carnivore Project.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Suspected poacher eaten by Lions in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Police in Limpopo Province, South Africa, are trying to determine the identity of a man found dead in the Ingwelala Private Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province, South Africa, on Saturday 10 February 2018. The man had been largely eaten by Lions, though his head and some other body parts had were left, and he is presumed to have been poaching in the park as he was found next to a high-powered riffle of a kind favoured by poachers and did not have any legitimate reason to be in the park.

A Lion in the Ingwelala Private Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Jacques Rossouw/Ingwelala Private Nature Reserve.

Lions are currently listed as Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, as they underwent a 43% decline in population globally during the period 1993-2014 (roughly three generations in Lion terms). This decline has largely been fuelled by habitat loss, combined with deliberate killing of the animals to protect Humans, and their livestock, expanding their range into the Lion's territory. However the species has actually undergone an increase in population size in four Southern African countries (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe), where large wildlife parks are heavily protected against incursion and poaching to protect other species. Lions are sometimes deliberately targeted by poachers within game reserves, as their bones are used in some traditional African medicine or traded in Asia as the more sort after bones of Tigers, but it is likely that if the victim was poaching in the park that he was looking for more conventional prey, such as antelope for eating or Rhinoceros or Elephant for their more widely traded horns and tusks, and that his encounter with the Lions was simply bad luck and/or lack of experience of hunting in Lion territory.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.