SA academics helping to identify the cause of elephant die-off in Botswana
Their commentary – titled “Mass die-off of African elephants in Botswana: pathogen, poison or a perfect storm?” – was published this week in the African Journal of Wildlife Research.
Pretoria, South Africa (06 August 2020) – Scientists from South Africa and Pakistan have pooled their expertise, in an effort to understand why more than 350 elephants in Botswana have died in just two months.
The research team comprises Assistant Professor Dr Shahan Azeem of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan; Dr Roy Bengis, retired Chief State Veterinarian of the Kruger National Park; Professor Rudi van Aarde, Emeritus Professor and Conservation Ecology Chair at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Zoology and Entomology; and Professor Armanda Bastos, Head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology at UP and an affiliate of UP’s Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies.
Their commentary – titled “Mass die-off of African elephants in Botswana: pathogen, poison or a perfect storm?” – was published this week in the African Journal of Wildlife Research.
“The article attempts to identify possible causes of these deaths and is a result of Dr Azeem initiating the commentary out of concern that a similar event could affect Asian elephants,” said Prof Bastos.
Botswana has reported the death of 350 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in just two months, sparking speculation among conservationists and the public around the cause. Carcasses were first found in the Okavango Panhandle region. There are now reports that these deaths could be attributed to a naturally occurring toxin, but there are no definite answers. The team has not been directly involved in the research into the deaths, with samples being tested by other scientists in Zimbabwe, the USA and at UP’s Faculty of Veterinary Science.
“The die-off in Botswana has broader implications because elephant populations are heterogenous – some countries have many, whereas others have very few, and will not withstand the loss of so many animals,” Dr Azeem explained.
“Without definite answers around the cause of these deaths, it is not clear whether mitigation is necessary or possible in Botswana, and it will not be possible to prevent future mass deaths.”
Although the loss of so many elephants is small in comparison to the total number of elephants in Botswana – which is estimated to be about 130 000 – Prof Van Aarde cautions that there is a risk of localised elephant extinction if a die-off of similar scale were to occur elsewhere.
Read more article on Good Things Guys