The cause of the mass death of elephants in Botswana has been discovered: the fault of cyanobacteria

Mysterious mass death of elephants in Botswana was caused by cyanobacteria poisoning in water

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

The mysterious mass death of elephants in Botswana was caused by cyanobacteria poisoning. This was sanctioned by the country's wildlife department, which has finally shed light on the slaughter of animals, which has taken place in recent months.

Numerous elephants have died in the famous Okavango Delta in Botswana. The hypothesis of poaching was immediately eliminated and that of poisoning by toxins present in the environment was considered. Now comes the official confirmation: cyanobacteria killed the elephants.

Botswana boasts the largest elephant population in the world, estimated at around 130.000. Yet 300 pachyderms have mysteriously died since March. The intact fangs rule out the hypothesis that they were killed by poachers.

"The deaths were caused by poisoning due to cyanobacteria growing in the pools of water," said the official veterinarian of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Mmadi Reuben.

Reuben explained that the deaths "stopped towards the end of June 2020, coinciding with the drying of the swamps".

The first report on unusual deaths, released on April 25, identified cases near the village of Seronga but the number began to rise the following month.

According to wildlife authorities, about 330 animals died and blood tests were consistent with finding that the cause was a species of cyanobacteria that produces neurotoxins. The tests were conducted in specialized laboratories in South Africa, Canada, Zimbabwe and the United States and confirm what had already been hypothesized:

The cause of the mysterious elephant massacre in Botswana has been discovered: it would be a natural toxin

Officials have ruled out anthrax or human involvement, according to Cyril Taolo, deputy director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

During the winter months, elephants get hydrated mainly by eating roots and bark, especially the baobab tree, which is why during our summer (and their winter) they are dying less, as they rarely draw from swamps.

Reference source: Sciencealert