An important clue is the way some elephants were found: lying with their faces down, indicative of an abrupt death.
In contrast, others seem to perish more gradually. This enigmatic range of symptoms makes the identification of a potential toxin or pathogen quite challenging.
Elephants Drop Dead in Botswana:The Search for Causes and Consequences
Despite the gravity of the situation, official testing to determine the cause remains unperformed by the Botswana government.
This has left us with mere conjectures – could it be poisoning, an unknown disease, or perhaps something entirely different? An initial suspicion pointed to anthrax, but it has since been dismissed.
While cyanide poisoning, a tactic often employed by poachers in Zimbabwe, has not been entirely ruled out, it seems unlikely as scavenging animals do not appear to be suffering similar fatalities.
The absence of abnormal behavior among vultures, usually the first to arrive at carcasses, further confounds the mystery.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic, though mentioned, is considered an unlikely cause.
