Zimbabwe's elephant death toll climbs to 22, more expected as probe continues

Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson has informed that the toll of mysterious elephant deaths in the western region of the country climbed to 22 on Wednesday, September 2. According to reports, authorities suspect the mysterious elephant deaths could be possibly linked to poisonous plants in the region could have been caused by a bacterial infection.

Tinashe Farawo, the country's parks agency spokesperson, is reported to have said that most of the elephants who died in the Pandamasue Forest were young and weak. The region is located between the vast Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls and faces a scarcity of food. Farawo added that the younger elephants fail to reach higher tree branches and could have eaten anything within the reach leading to suspected poisoning. 

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Associated Press quoted Farawo saying that the animals "end up eating everything and some of the vegetation that they eat might be poisonous". 

Investigations underway

Farawo said that the problem might remain the same during the dry seasons as the country has been witnessing successive climate-induced droughts in recent years that left animals in the scarcity of food and water.

He further added that some animals could be dying due to the stress of walking long distances for the search for food and water. Farawo said that overpopulation had become one of the biggest threats to the survival of wildlife in Zimbabwe's parks. The animals are becoming a threat to themselves, he added. 

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Meanwhile, Zimbabwe authorities are carrying on an investigation on the suspicious deaths and have ruled out cyanide poisoning and poaching as a probable cause of the tragic deaths. The dead bodies of the elephants were first discovered with the tusks intact on last Friday. 

According to the reports, the blood samples have been sent to the laboratory for further analysis to determine the cause of their deaths. Farawo said that they can only ascertain the cause of death after a proper investigation. The probe will also try to establish if there is a link between the recent elephant deaths reported in neighboring Botswana. 

Earlier this year, over 275 elephants were found dead in Botswana under mysterious circumstances. According to the reports, the scientists have named the mysterious circumstance a ‘conservation disaster’. The first cluster contained around 165 carcasses of dead elephants which were reported back in May. A UK based conservationist was reported to have said that a mass die-off is very rare and added that without a drought-like situation, a die-off like this one has not been so significant. 

Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at 156,000, and Zimbabwe the second largest, estimated at 85,000. 

Image/Input: AP

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