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Cyanobacterial toxins in the water were killed by more than 300 elephants in Botswana this year, authorities said Monday when they reported the results of months of research.
Cyanobacteria are microscopic-sized organisms, generally found in water and occasionally in soil. Not all produce toxins, but researchers say toxic bacteria are becoming more common as a result of global warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), temperatures in South Africa are rising twice as fast as the world average.
Cyril Taolo, deputy director of the ministry responsible for wildlife and national parks, said the number of dead animals had risen to 330. – Recent tests have identified cyanobacterial neurotoxins as the cause of death in individuals. These bacteria are found in the water, said Mmadi Reuben, the ministry’s chief veterinarian.
Special analyzes were carried out on samples taken from corpses, blood, soil, periodic waters, in which cyanobacteria were identified. Reuben said that the cyanobacteria that live in the Okavango Delta can produce deadly toxins, and the dead animals showed signs of collapse of their nervous systems. However, there are still many questions to be answered, such as why did only elephants perish and why only in that area? “We have a number of theories that we are still examining,” he added.
According to Reuben, it is conceivable that other animals also drank from the waters that were hiding the bacteria, but they were not affected as the elephants use their noses to drink water, so it is possible that they drank from the deeper layers of the subsoil where they live. the bacteria. The growth of cyanobacteria can be harmful to both humans and animals. Scientists are concerned about the possibility of this happening, as climate change will cause the water temperature to rise, creating more favorable conditions for many bacteria. We also noticed that when the smaller bodies of water began to dry out around June, the elephant mortality rate also decreased. We know that the rainy season is coming soon, so we are working on several measures that could ensure that there are no more elephant deaths in the area, ”Reuben said.
Africa’s total elephant population is shrinking due to poaching, but in Botswana, where nearly a third of the continent’s elephants live, the number of terns has increased, currently hovering around 130,000.
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