Lions and flies

Swarms of vicious stomoxys, or stable, flies have recently killed at least six lions in Tanzania’s famed Ngorongoro crater park.

Apparently, this is not the first time a plague of flies has decimated the lion population in the park. In 1961-62, heavy rains permitted the stable-fly population to breed constantly for over six months, and by the end of the rains the lion population had dropped to around ten.