Lion Death Periods and Stomoxys Flies
In 1961 there was a drought, and in 1962 rain continued throughout the dry season. This caused a massive build-up of the Stomoxys calcitrans biting fly by May 1962. Their demands for blood meals affected the lions so badly (draining blood, and causing skin sores which became infected) that lion numbers crashed, and took several years to build back up when the weather was back to normal. It was estimated that Ngorongoro's population of at least 70 lions had been reduced to about 10.
Drought in 2000 and continuous dry-season rain in 2001 did the same again: in March 2001 Stomoxys numbers had built up again into a devastating plague.
Additionally, Lions declined from 80 to approximately 30 in 2003 and spotted hyenas decreased by 36%.
V.A. Runyero also noted the downward trend of other species and states, "Analysis of the semiannual game counts begun in 1964 indicates that the five most abundant ungulates in the Crater declined 29% between the periods 1964–1980 and 1986–2005. The wildebeest, the keystone species, declined from over 14,000 to <9000 head; buffalo increased from <100 before 1970 to over 2000 individuals to become the dominant herbivore. Gazelle populations also declined."
Read more about this topic: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
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