Botswana probes death of 330 elephants

[Still Waters]

Botswana is investigating the mysterious death of 56 elephants in the last two months. Authorities have ruled out poaching, as all carcasses were found intact.

The country's Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism says 12 elephants were found dead last week in villages in the Okavango Delta panhandle. In March, 44 animals died.

Wildlife officer Dimakatso Ntsebe downplayed the possibility of farmers poisoning the elephants, who tend to eat and stomp on crops.

https://www.voanews.com/africa/botswana-probes-death-56-elephants

[rashore]

Quote

Over 150 elephants have mysteriously died in Botswana over the past few months. Both poaching and poisoning have been ruled out, leaving wildlife officials scratching their hands over the course of the ongoing deaths.

Regional wildlife authorities have reported at least 154 elephants have died over the previous two months in the wildlife-rich swamps of Okavango Delta in Botswana, Reuters reports. The carcasses were found intact, suggesting they were not poached for their tusks or meat. There was also no evidence of poisoning, which can occur where there is human-animal conflict, or anthrax, a bacteria commonly found in soil that’s known to infect wildlife in the area.

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/over-150-elephants-have-died-in-mysterious-circumstances-in-botswana/?fbclid=IwAR2J-8Lfbtxb6A4CzCUQxBhHF5zyXluRtzrDBhooctHe3NZ1hj_6uqVJ_Qk

 

[Wistman]

Oh no. 

[jethrofloyd]

Aliens are to blame! It must be a elephant mutilation!

[Jon the frog]

Damn, but nowhere to see if others big mammals are falling too ?

[Duke Wellington]

The elephants have Covid-19

[jethrofloyd]

Hundreds of elephants dead in mysterious mass die-off

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/more-than-350-elephants-dead-in-mysterious-mass-die-off-botswana-aoe

More than 350 elephants have died in northern Botswana in a mysterious mass die-off described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”.

A cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May, with 169 individuals dead by the end of the month. By mid June, the number had more than doubled, with 70% of the deaths clustered around waterholes, according to local sources who wish to remain anonymous.

[Still Waters]

Update: Botswana: Mystery elephant deaths caused by cyanobacteria

Quote

Toxins made by microscopic algae in water caused the previously unexplained deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana, wildlife officials say.

Botswana is home to a third of Africa's declining elephant population.

The alarm was raised when elephant carcasses were spotted in the country's Okavango Delta between May and June.

Officials say a total of 330 elephants are now known to have died from ingesting cyanobacteria

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-54234396

 

[Jon the frog]

On 9/21/2020 at 9:31 AM, Still Waters said:

Update: Botswana: Mystery elephant deaths caused by cyanobacteria

 

Just strange that other mammals have not been found dead nearby. Probably they protected their water hole until death so not a lot of other mammals drank in them ?

Edited September 24, 2020 by Jon the frog