In 2020, 350 elephants mysteriously died in Botswana, with a further 35 dying in similar circumstances in Zimbabwe. Now scientists think they may have found the reason why
The carcass of one of the 350 elephants that were found dead in the Okavango delta in northern Botswana between May and June 2020.The carcass of one of the 350 elephants that were found dead in the Okavango delta in northern Botswana between May and June 2020.
“This represents an important conservation concern for elephants in the largest remaining meta-population of this endangered species,” researchers wrote in the paper. It was written by an international team of researchers from the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, the University of Surrey, laboratories in Southin the wild. The paper suggests that infectious diseases should be added to the list of pressures they are facing.
Bisgaard taxon 45 has previously been found to exist in tigers and lions as well as chipmunks and psittacines, according to the paper.Other things experts tested for included cyanide, which some people use to poison elephants, but there were no traces of any poisons in the carcasses or near the waterholes. Other theories included ingestion of toxins from algal blooms. Poaching was immediately ruled out because the carcasses still had tusks attached.