Botswana is a country in southern part of the African continent and is home to a third of Africa’s declining elephant population.
Botswana is struggling to research the explanations behind the puzzling deaths of more than 350 elephants in the well known Okavango Delta nature hold.
Experts in Botswana, home to 33% of Africa’s declining elephant populace, are struggling to send tests for examination to global offices to decide the reason for the passings because of the absence of flights due to the COVID-19 lockdown in the district.
The scientists have termed these mass deaths of elephants a conservation disaster, which were first seen during an aerial survey in the beginning of May.
Many of the carcasses have been found near to water, which has prompted suggestions that they might have died from poisoning. But other scientists pointed out that if the water was indeed poisoned, it would have killed other animals as well.
Local experts have already ruled out anthrax as a possible cause, after about 100 elephants died of that disease last year.
Of those bodies discovered so far, some lay on their knees and faces (rather than on their side), suggesting sudden death, although there are also reports of elephants looking disoriented and even walking in circles. The tusks of the dead elephants are still in place and, as yet, no other species have died under similar circumstances. Scientists believe that there might be a neurological cause for the deaths because of this.
In any case, without knowing the source, it is difficult to preclude the chance of an infection crossing into the human populace – particularly if the reason is in either the water sources or the dirt. Dr McCann focuses to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is accepted to have begun in creatures. “Yes, it is a conservation disaster – but it also has the potential to be a public health crisis,” he said.
Dr. Cyril Taolo, acting director for Botswana’s department of wildlife and national parks, told the Guardian they had so far confirmed at least 280 elephants had died and were in the process of confirming the rest.
They still are unaware of the fact that has caused so many deaths.
“We have sent [samples] off for testing and we are expecting the results over the next couple of weeks or so,” he said.
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