Mystery deaths of 154 elephants in Botswana are investigated as poaching, poisoning and anthrax are ruled out
- 154 elephants were found dead and it is still a mystery as to how they all died
- Wildlife officials ruled that poaching, poisoning and anthrax were not the reason
- Botswana lifted its hunting ban but the pandemic stopped the season’s success
The mysterious death of 154 elephants is being investigated in Botswana after poaching, poisoning and anthrax were dismissed as possible causes.
The carcasses were intact when they were found which suggested that they had not been poached.
After the caresses were examined further it was ruled that the elephants had neither been poisoned by humans nor died from anthrax.
Although Africa’s elephant population is declining because of poaching Botswana’s numbers are growing.
Pictured: Stock photo of a young bull elephant in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Although Africa’s elephant population is declining because of poaching Botswana’s numbers are growing
The southern African country is home to a third of the continent’s elephants and grew a population of 80,000 to 130,000 because of well-managed reserves.
However elephants are still under threat as farmers see them as a nuisance for destroying crops when they roam out of reserves and poaching is still prevalent.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi last year lifted a five-year ban on big game hunting imposed by previous president Ian Khama.
But coronavirus travel restrictions meant that the hunting season did not take off this year.
The Wildlife Department is working on relocating and dehorning all rhinos to tackle poaching in Botswana, mirroring successful efforts in other parts of the region.
Pictured: A rhino that has been dehorned in an effort to deter poaching in the North West Province in South Africa
Poachers have taken advantage of the lack of safari visitors during the pandemic which has left the Okavango Delta rhino population hit the hardest.
Between December and the beginning of May 25 Okavango Delta rhinos were reported poached, government figures show.
This is a large number of rhinos given that a total of 31 rhinos were poached between October 2018 and December last year.
‘Both white rhino and black rhinos have been severely affected, necessitating the … relocation of highly endangered black rhinos (and) intensification of surveillance,’ the Department said.