350 elephants dead conservation disaster

350 elephants have been found dead mysteriously in northern Botswana over the last two months. “Outside of drought, I don’t know of a die-off that has been this significant” Dr. Niall McCann, director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue. The cause of death is not clear, with lab results on samples still weeks away according to the government.

 A cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May with 169 elephants dead by the end of the month. By mid-June, the number had more than doubled  with 70 per cent of the deaths clustered around waterholes, according to local sources.

The two main possibilities are poisoning or an unknown pathogen- Anthrax – initially considered to be the most likely cause has been ruled out.

Local eyewitness says some elephants were seen walking round in circles, which is an indication of neurological impairment  “ If you look at the carcasses, some of them have fallen straight on their face, indicating that they died instantly. Others are obviously dying slowly, like ones that are wandering around. So it is very difficult to say what the toxin is, Cyanide poisoning often used by poachers  in Zimbabwe remains a possibility. It is a conservation disaster” McCann said.

There are about 15, 000 elephants in the delta 10 per cent of the country’s total. Eco-tourism contributes between 10-12 per cent of Botswana’s GDP Second only to diamonds.

 

 

Mammoth 36-foot  carcass whale washes up in west Bengal

A 36-foot  whale carcass washed up on Mandarmani beach in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district, India. The local police station and state forest department are examining the injury marks on the carcass’s body to determine the cause of death.