This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
Botswana is reeling from a mysterious mass die-off of elephants, with over 350 carcasses discovered in the Okavango Delta since May.
Dr. Niall McCann, a UK-based conservationist, told the BBC that local conservationists first alerted the government in early May after spotting 169 elephant carcasses in a three-hour flight.
"To be able to see and count that many in a three-hour flight was extraordinary," Dr. McCann said.
Further investigations identified many more carcasses, bringing the total to over 350, with Dr. McCann describing the deaths as "totally unprecedented" in terms of numbers of elephants dying in a single event unrelated to drought.
Botswana's government has ruled out poaching as a reason, noting that the tusks had not been removed, according to Phys.org.
Dr. McCann has also tentatively ruled out natural anthrax poisoning, which killed at least 100 elephants in Botswana last year.
However, the cause of death remains unknown, with Dr. McCann pointing to the possibility of poisoning or disease, and the potential for a disease to cross into the human population.
"Yes, it is a conservation disaster – but it also has the potential to be a public health crisis," Dr. McCann said.
Botswana's department of wildlife and national parks has confirmed at least 280 elephant deaths and is awaiting test results to determine the cause.
