Officials in Botswana are investigating the mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephants in the Okavango Delta area of the southern African nation in the past three months.
The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism said Thursday that it had verified 275 corpses of the 356 deaths that have been reported since early May.
Samples have been sent to three laboratories in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Canada for analysis. The environment ministry said ongoing investigations so far “have revealed no evidence of poaching.”
PRESS RELEASE – ELEPHANT MORTALITY IN SERONGA
The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism wishes to inform members of the public that, … pic.twitter.com/BnkEK7qe15
– Government of Botswana (@BWGovernment) July 2, 2020
Natural anthrax poisoning, which killed at least 100 elephants in Botswana last year, was reportedly ruled out as a cause of death for elephants investigated this year.
However, Niall McCann, of UK-based charity National Park Rescue, told The Guardian that experts have not been able to officially rule out the poisoning or the disease.
“This is a massive death on a level that has not been seen in a long, long time. Outside of the drought, I don’t know of a death that was so important, ”he said.
McCann said sightings of other elephants walking in circles point to something that potentially attacks their neurological systems.
“If you look at the corpses, some of them have fallen flat on their face, indicating that they died very quickly. Others obviously die more slowly, like those who wander. So it’s very difficult to say what this toxin is, “said McCann.
Botswana is investigating the increasing number of unexplained deaths among elephants there after confirming that 275 have died. Poaching has been ruled out as the cause of death, as the bodies were found intact. The | via Brochure / @Reuters pic.twitter.com/v9h1E62atk
– ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) July 3, 2020
The number of elephants found dead in Botswana’s Okavango Panhandle has increased to 275 from 154 reported two weeks ago, the government said Thursday. https://t.co/zubh2Ye7nM pic.twitter.com/w7o16wBKUa
– Reuters Africa (@ReutersAfrica) July 2, 2020
The dead elephants have been of all ages and both sexes, and many have clustered around water holes, according to The Guardian.
Botswana, a country where almost a third of the entire African elephant population lives, last year lifted its ban on hunting elephants for a year.
Local communities in the nation have been advised not to handle the tusks of the dead elephant. While poaching has not been entirely ruled out, it has been considered improbable because the tusks have not been removed from the corpses.
The Guardian noted that cyanide poisoning, a method often used by poachers in Zimbabwe, could be a possible explanation, but the scavengers do not appear to be dying near the bodies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also been mentioned as a possible cause, but is also considered unlikely, according to the outlet.
However, McCann told The Guardian that the tests must be intensified as “there is no precedent for it being a natural phenomenon.”
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