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A cyanobacterium was the cause of the mysterious death of about 300 elephants in Botswana in the middle of this year, the government announced Monday.
The cause of the death of the pachyderms was determined after months of scientific tests commissioned by the government of this southern African nation, famous for being home to the largest colony of elephants in the world.
Cyanobacteria are a type of bacteria that have the ability to photosynthesize. They flourish in water and are capable of producing toxins that poison terrestrial and marine wildlife and cause disturbances in humans.
The number of elephants killed by cyanobacteria was about 330, Cyril Taolo, deputy director of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks, said today during a televised news conference.
Despite the clarification of the cause of the sudden and massive deaths, which alarmed both the Government of Botswana and defenders of nature, many questions remain to be addressed.
“We still have many questions to answer, including why only the elephant species was affected, why in the area involved, and what may have triggered all these changes that we saw in the area. We have several hypotheses that we are investigating,” said Mmadi Reuben. , the chief veterinarian of the department during the press conference.
This expert also indicated that it was found that the deaths ended when the water tanks in the affected region, around the city of Seronga (north), were drying up.
“From now on, we will monitor the situation and define procedures to avoid more deaths in the next season,” said Mmadi Reuben.
Botswana’s elephant death alarm went off in early May, when the bodies of several elephants were found in the vicinity of the Okavango Delta, whose cause of death experts could not initially guess.
Further exploration led to the discovery of some 300 dead pachyderms in similar conditions, with signs of sudden neurological damage.
No other species were affected, not even scavengers that may have eaten dead elephants, such as hyenas or vultures.
“It’s very, very strange, especially since it’s just the elephants,” said Niall McCann, director of conservation for British National Park Rescue, one of the organizations investigating the problem.
The event also occurred in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, a factor that complicated the investigations due to the circulation restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
The pandemic also delayed the completion of scientific tests, as Botswana had to send samples to laboratories in other countries.
Botswana, with a colony of about 125,000 pachyderms, has the largest number of elephants in the world.
Of these, 10% are in the area affected by this outbreak, the Okavango Delta, known internationally for its luxury safari tourism.
Photographs of several dead elephants in the Okavango Delta
PHOTOGRAPHS OBTAINED BY REUTERS
