Mysterious elephant deaths in Botswana could have devastating consequences for species - NGO

Record ID: 1560675

  • Title: Mysterious elephant deaths in Botswana could have devastating consequences for species - NGO
  • Date: 3rd July 2020
  • Summary: INTERNET (JULY 3, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF ELEPHANTS FOR AFRICA, DR KATE EVANS, SAYING: "The word mysterious has been used, and I guess because it's unknown. It's not unheard of to have die-off of elephants and, of course, other species. And one of the likely candidates at first was anthrax, which is common in Botswana. But it's the wrong time of year for that, so that has been ruled out. But we did have an outbreak in November of last year. So that was ruled out because we've since had good rains, and I'm sure the avenues being investigated are likely to be a bacterial infection or indeed a virus."
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2020 13:58
  • Keywords: Botswana Elephant's for Africa Elephants disease
  • Location: INTERNET AND BOTSWANA
  • City: INTERNET AND BOTSWANA
  • Country: Sweden
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA002CL995C7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The mysterious deaths of hundreds of elephants could have a "devastating" impact on the species, one NGO said on Friday (July 3).
    Botswana is investigating a growing number of unexplained deaths of elephants, having confirmed 275 had died, up from 154 two weeks ago, the government said on Thursday (July 2).
    The dead elephants were first spotted months ago in the Okavango Panhandle region, and the authorities say they have since been trying to discover the cause.
    Poaching has been ruled out as the cause of death, as the carcasses were found intact.
    Africa's overall elephant population is declining due to poaching, but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent's elephants, has seen numbers grow to 130,000 from 80,000 in the late 1990s.
    However, they are seen as a nuisance by some farmers, whose crops have been destroyed.
    Dr Kate Evans of Elephants for Africa, said it would be particularly concerning if the disease were to spread to areas where elephant numbers were smaller and the animals were less genetically diverse, as these would be more likely to die en masse should the disease take hold.
    A report prepared for the government by a separate conservation organisation said aerial surveys showed that elephants of all ages appeared to be dying.
    The group counted 169 dead elephants on May 25, and another 187 on June 14, according to the report.
    President Mokgweetsi Masisi lifted a five-year ban on big game hunting in May last year but the hunting season failed to take off in April as global travel restrictions meant hunters from many coronavirus-hit countries could not enter Botswana.
    (Production: Natalie Thomas)
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