The deaths of 15 elephants over the previous month in Kenya’s Amboseli Nationwide Park have sparked an investigation, wildlife officers mentioned Tuesday.
The Kenya Wildlife Service mentioned 10 of the pachyderms confirmed indicators of partial paralysis earlier than dying inside two days, whereas the remaining 5 have been discovered lifeless, with their carcasses partially consumed by scavengers.
Most of these affected have been feminine elephants and their calves, with just one male among the many lifeless. The deaths occurred within the Kimana Sanctuary and Kuku Ranch areas surrounding the park, the authority mentioned.
Kenya has beforehand recorded incidents of elephants being poisoned because of poaching and human-wildlife battle. However officers say it is the primary time in many years the area has recorded elephant deaths on this scale, in accordance with CBS Information’ companion community BBC Information.
KWS mentioned there was presently no proof pointing to a single reason for dying, BBC Information reported.
Preliminary exams on samples collected from the elephants by a laboratory on the College of Nairobi detected a “potential poisonous substance,” whereas separate analyses by Kenya’s Authorities Chemist have been unfavorable for the toxins examined. KWS mentioned additional exams are underway.
“Environmental investigations are additionally being undertaken, together with the evaluation of water sources and different potential environmental contaminants inside the affected areas, to determine whether or not the elephants have been uncovered to a standard supply,” KWS mentioned in a press release.
Officers sought to reassure the general public, saying there was no proof the situation might be transmitted to people.
The Amboseli Nationwide Park is situated close to the Tanzania border on the northwestern foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. There have been greater than 2,000 elephants within the Amboseli ecosystem as of 2025, in accordance with BBC Information.
