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Mysterious death of African elephants
In the early summer of this year, some 330 elephants in Botswana died one after another in a month. The cause of death was strange.
Wildlife protection officials announced that the investigation results show that the culprit responsible for the elephants’ collective death is floating on the surface of the pond: blue-green algae; To be precise, it is the toxin produced by this photosynthetic bacteria that makes elephants drink. The water in the pond turned into a poisonous soup.
One third of African elephants live in Botswana.
Blue-green bacteria are very common in ponds and lakes and are poisonous, if they multiply in a short time they will form blue-green algae and the toxicity in the water will increase enormously.
Image source,Reuters
(Hint: the following images may make some readers uncomfortable)
In May and June of this year, many elephant carcasses turned up in the Okavango Delta, where there is a wildlife park, raising the alarm of the authorities.
Because many elephant carcasses were found near the pond where they usually drink, the quality of the water is questionable. But wildlife protection officials are skeptical, because the blue-green algae mainly accumulate on the surface of the water near the shore, and the elephants generally drink in the middle of the pond.
In either case, first take samples for testing. The samples were sent to laboratories in South Africa, Canada, the United States and Zimbabwe for analysis.
The results came out a few months later.
Image source,Reuters
In May and June 2020, aerial photographs of the Okavango Delta showed elephant carcasses lying on the pond, and the pond where they drank during their lifetime was dark green water.
Botswana National Park and Wildlife Service Chief Veterinarian Mmadi Reuben announced this week: “Latest laboratory test results show that blue-green bacterial neurotoxin in water caused the elephants to die.”
He also revealed at the press conference that the collective death of elephants ended at the end of June, which coincided with the depletion of these ponds.
The reason for excluding poaching is that the tusks of these elephants remain intact after death, which does not appear to be done by poachers. Anthrax poisoning was also ruled out.
However, the investigation into the mass death of elephants is still ongoing.
Rubén said that many questions have not been answered, such as why do only elephants die? Why does it occur only in this area?
Image source,Supplied
The British charity “National Park Rescue” (NPR) once told the BBC that local environmentalists in Botswana notified authorities after they found the body of an elephant in an aerial photograph over the delta in early May this year. year.
NPR’s Dr. Niall McCann said: “They saw 169 bodies during the three-hour flight. This number is staggering.”
Recently, another 25 elephants were found dead in neighboring Zimbabwe. The samples have been sent to the UK for laboratory analysis.
What kind of bacteria are blue-green bacteria?
Image source,By Agostini / Getty Images
- Blue-green bacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can be seen all over the world, mainly growing in closed, static, nutrient-rich bodies of water such as ponds and lakes.
- Some types of blue-green algae produce toxins that are harmful to animals and humans.
- People who drink water containing blue-green bacteria toxins or swim and bathe in this water will become intoxicated
- Symptoms include skin allergies, stomach cramps, vomiting, malaria, high fever, sore throat, and headaches.
- Water bodies with large amounts of toxin-producing blue-green algae can cause poisoning of animals, birds, and fish.
Source: World Health Organization ( who）
