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Hundreds of elephants mysteriously die in Botswana – and scientists can't rule out illness spreading to humans

An aerial shot of an elephant found dead at a watering hole in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
An aerial shot of an elephant found dead at a watering hole in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana in a matter of weeks and conservationists are urging the government to investigate the “catastrophic” situation.

At least 350 elephants have died since the beginning of May in the Okavango Delta. An aerial survey found 70 per cent of the gentle giants had died near watering holes.

The cause of death had not yet been determined and the Botswana government has claimed that the possibilities the deaths were caused by poaching, poisoning by humans and anthrax have been ruled out.

The tusks on the carcasses were found intact, suggesting ivory poaching was not the cause of death. Anthrax is a naturally-occurring poison found in the soil in parts of Botswana and has been known to occasionally affect wildlife, but authorities say it isn’t the culprit.

Lab results on samples taken from the carcasses are still weeks away, a government official told The Guardian.

The public was also urged to report any other citing of dead elephants to the authorities.

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told the BBC