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Botswana, slaughter of elephants: more than 300 killed by a bacterium

This time the slaughter of the elephants does not depend on the poachers. The death had begun in the summer in the North of Botswana. The carcasses were found in the Okavango River Delta area, near the city of Maun. State officials said “it was cyanobacterial neurotoxins to cause the death of over 330 pachyderms. They are bacteria that have been found in water “and that are produced by algae that proliferate in standing water. This was reported today, in a press conference reported by Al Jazeera, Mmadi Reuben, chief veterinary officer in the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

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One of the pools polluted by the toxic bacterium that killed the elephants

“However, we still have many questions to answer, such as why only the elephants died and why only in that area. We have a number of hypotheses we are investigating,” he added.

The Botswana It is home to a third of the continent’s endangered elephant population and said in July it had launched an investigation into the mysterious deaths of pachyderms, collecting samples from carcasses and mobilizing personnel and planes to better understand the situation.

Speaking at the same press conference, Cyril Taolo, Deputy Director of the Department, said the number of elephant deaths had risen to 330 from the 281 last reported in July. The Botswana it has the largest elephant population in the world, estimated at 130,000. More than 20 elephant carcasses were discovered in neighboring Zimbabwe in early September, and authorities suspect the animals died from a bacterial infection.

The poaching trail was excluded because the animals were found with intact fangs.

The tests were carried out in specialized laboratories in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Canada.

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