“The deaths were caused by poisoning due to cyanobacteria growing in the pots or in the water troughs,” Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks Chief Veterinary Officer Mmadi Reuben told reporters in response to the more than 300 elephant deaths in Botswana.
These cyanobacteria grow naturally almost everywhere in the world and can be found in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. They have even been seen under the ice. In general, they do not cause serious problems to the animals, but they can affect them (and a lot) when there are increases in temperature or the concentration of nutrients is increased and a sudden flowering occurs.
Around 330 elephants have mysteriously died since March and they were ruled out as victims of poachers because the carcasses had their tusks intact.
Reuben said the deaths had “stopped by the end of June 2020, coinciding with the drying of the pots.”
A first report of unusual elephant deaths on April 25 identified cases near the village of Seronga, and the numbers began to rise the following month.
Blood tests carried out on the animals have determined that the cause of the mass death has been a cyanobacterium with neurotoxic effects . The tests were carried out in specialized laboratories in South Africa, Canada, Zimbabwe and the United States. Both anthrax or human involvement and poaching have been ruled out as possible causes of death.
The funny thing about all this is that elephants have been the only ones affected by cyanobacteria. No other animal suffered any mishap. Not even scavengers such as hyenas and vultures that fed on their meat showed any signs of disease.
Botswana has the largest elephant population in the world, estimated at around 130,000.
