Botswana elephant death mystery solved - 5th October 2020

Government officials are confident that they have solved the mystery of mass elephant deaths in Botswana earlier this year. They claim the hundreds of elephants that died had succumbed to a deadly toxin found in waterholes.

Bewildered ecologists dubbed the death of 350 elephants in the Okavango delta between May and June "a conservation disaster". Environmentalists hypothesised that the deaths were provoked by either poisoning or an unknown pathogen.

Botswana veterinary officer Mmadi Reuben of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks conducted tests at elephant waterholes which detected cyanobacterial neurotoxins, harmful bacteria produced by aquatic algae blooms.

Toxins were initially ruled out as a possible cause for the deaths since no other species frequenting the waterholes had been killed. However, owing to the elephants' habit of soaking in the waterholes for extended periods and their need to consume massive quantities of water, researchers now believe they are particularly susceptible to the bacteria. The majority of the remains were discovered near waterholes inundated with the toxic algae blooms.

The other theory under consideration had been cyanide poisoning, often used by elephant poachers in Zimbabwe. However, as scavenging animals were not affected and the tusks of the deceased remained intact, conservationists directed their suspicions back towards the elephants' water supply.

Approximately 15,000 elephants, comprising a tenth of Botswana's total elephant population, reside in the Okavango Delta. With eco-tourism contributing a significant amount to the national economy, the mystery has been met with alarm by government officials and conservationists alike.

The intensity and severity of harmful algae blooms is swelling year on year due to climate change. With the Botswana government desperate to prevent another such catastrophe, elephant waterholes are to be carefully monitored and tested for blooms throughout the next rainy season.