More than 350 elephants carcasses have been spotted in the southern African country’s Okavango Delta since the start of May.
A cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the region in early May, with 169 individuals dead by the end of the month.
That number had almost doubled by mid-June, with 70 per cent of the deaths occurring around waterholes, according to local sources.
The Botswana government have not yet tested their bodies for traces of poison or pathogens but Anthrax – a serious bacterial disease – has been ruled out.
Notably, the lack of vultures on the carcasses also caused locals to suggest something outside of a natural phenomenon was causing the deaths, with covid-19 also posed as a possibility.
Although Africa’s overall elephant population is declining due to poaching, Botswana’s numbers are growing.
The southern African country is home to a third of the continent’s elephants and has grown a population of 80,000 to 130,000 because of well-managed reserves.
Last year over 100 Botswanan elephants died from a suspected anthrax outbreak, and some may have succumbed to drought conditions. But the government of Botswana believes it’s not anthrax in this case.
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