Precious
In Botswana, more than a hundred of elephants have died in few weeks, conservationists says it’s a disaster and a great loss to the balancing of the Eco-system.
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So far, so bad, 350 Elephants have died in the Okavango Delta since May. The cause of the deaths of these Elephants is yet to be identified.
Government of Botswana have considered ‘Anthrax’ as the cause of the these deaths, but this consideration was later ruled out, as there also suggestions of testing the carcasses for trace of poison or other pathogens. Ivory poaching could not have caused the deaths of the Elephants as their tusks remained intact.
Meanwhile a possibility of Anthrax can not be totally waved as it occurs freely in soils of Botswana, and known have affected wildlife in recent times.
Dr. Niall McCann the Director of conservation at a UK-based National Park Rescue told terryAnews
‘This is a mass die-off on a level that hasn’t been seen in a very, very long time. Outside of drought, I don’t know of a die-off that has been this significant.
‘When we’ve got a mass die-off of elephants near human habitation at a time when wildlife disease is very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it seems extraordinary that the government has not sent the samples to a reputable lab.
‘If you look at the carcasses, some of them have fallen straight on their face, indicating they died very quickly. Others are obviously dying more slowly, like the ones that are wandering around. So it’s very difficult to say what this toxin is’.
Locals of Conservative area have reported that they more deaths of deaths of elephants could be recorded, as they saw elephants walk in circles, lean and emaciated, they suggest that they could be neurologically damaged.
Locals in the area had reported seeing the elephants walking in circles, suggesting they have been neurologically impaired either by a pathogen or a poison. There are fears more elephants will die in the coming weeks, with locals reporting some looking week and emancipated.
Botswana is the third elephant-populous country in Africa.
The country’s Department of Wildlife in a press release in May regarding the mysterious deaths of elephants has said that:
“So far, veterinary officers have ruled out possibility of poaching because all carcasses of the elephants were found intact.
“In this regard, the public is cautioned against the consumption of meat of such dead animals as that may be detrimental to health, we urge the public to report any citing of dead elephants to the appropriate quarters.”
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(c) July 2020
