Wildlife officials in Kenya said on Thursday that 15 elephants found dead this month in one of the country’s best-known wildlife parks were likely poisoned by cyanide.
Authorities said the poison likely originated from pesticides used on farms. The elephants lived in Amboseli National Park near the Tanzanian border.
Kenya Wildlife Service spokesperson Duncan Juma Wanyama told the AFP news agency that investigators suspect the elephants ate tomatoes contaminated with “very strong pesticides.”
Officials say tomatoes were found in the stomachs of several elephants from the same herd. The animals were likely attracted to unripe plants growing on nearby farms, Wanyama added.
Unclear whether poisoning was deliberate
At least one elephant died on a farm after consuming tomatoes, while other elephants traveled towards a water source before dying days later, despite receiving treatment by vets.
Cyanide is “a toxic substance… which is very lethal, very poisonous,” Wanyama said, adding that “whenever the elephant consumed it, it affects their lung and the liver.”
Officials did not say who they suspected was responsible for the contamination of tomatoes at farms neighboring the Amboseli National Park.
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But it all comes as farmers have been suspected of deliberately poisoning elephants in the past, in order to prevent them from eating their crops.
Wildlife officials are investigating whether other farmers in the area use the same chemicals.
Kenya Wildlife Service has warned that such contamination could have wider consequences for livestock that also graze in the area.
“Other than the elephants and the wildlife that may be feeding in those fields, we have the local livestock. We have the goats. We have the cattle that are there. Eventually, if this is truly what is in the system, then we are going to see a bigger impact,” Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga said.
‘Major setback’ for conservation
Amboseli National Park is particularly known for its herds of elephants, as well as its breathtaking savannah landscapes, with Mount Kilimanjaro visible across the border in Tanzania.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) charity said the elephant’s poisoning was “a major setback” for one of Africa’s key elephant populations.
IFAW said the incident highlighted the devastating impact toxic substances can have on wildlife, livestock, people and ecosystems.
“Those responsible must be held fully accountable under the law,” IFAW Kenya director Ben Wandago said.
“This tragedy also underscores the urgent need for the strict control and responsible handling of highly toxic substances to prevent them from entering the natural environment,” Wandago added.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
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