Bacterial infection by poisonous plants could have killed 11 young elephants found dead last week in Zimbabwe in the Pandamasue Forest between Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls, Zimparks, the Zimbabwe National Park and Wildlife Authority said Tuesday.

Authorities initially feared that poachers would poison the animals with cyan or anthrax, but elephant carcasses were found along with tusks near Zimbabwe’s most important national park, and the poachers would have taken the valuable prey with them, making possible the crime.

In the dry season, as it is now, there is a shortage of food for the overcrowded elephant population, so young animals that don’t make it to the canopy of the trees tend to eat whatever they find, including potentially poisonous plants, Tinashe said. Farawo. Zimparks spokesperson.

According to Columbus Chaitezvi, Zimparks chief veterinarian, preliminary laboratory results suggest that the elephants contracted a deadly bacterial infection while foraging for food, but they don’t yet know which bacteria may have infected them.

In June, nearly 300 elephants were also found dead in neighboring Botswana, in the Okavango River Delta, and their long unexplained death was ultimately attributed to natural toxins. At the moment, it is being investigated whether there may be a link between the mass deaths of elephants observed in the two countries.

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Botswana has the largest number of African elephants, around 156,000, and Zimbabwe has the second largest population (estimated at 85,000). Experts say that Zimbabwe could provide living space for just 45-50,000 elephants. At least 200 snouts in the country died of hunger or thirst last year.



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