Fifteen elephants die under mysterious circumstances

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances of the mass death of elephants in southern Kenya, where the bodies of 15 animals were discovered over the past month.

The incident occurred in the Amboseli ecosystem area, located near the national park of the same name on the border with Tanzania.

According to representatives of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), tissue samples from the dead animals have been sent to specialized laboratories. Experts will need to determine whether the elephants' deaths are linked to an infectious disease, possible poisoning, or other factors.

According to the conservation agency, the deaths were recorded between June 24 and July 24, 2026. All discovered carcasses were found outside Amboseli National Park but within the ecosystem of the same name, which is considered one of the most important conservation zones in East Africa and is known for its large population of African elephants.

Specialists note that the dead animals include individuals of various ages and sexes. This indicates that the deaths did not affect any single family group or specific age category, which further complicates the search for a possible cause of the incident.

The Kenya Wildlife Service emphasized that such a large-scale death of elephants in this region is an unprecedented event in recent decades. It is worth noting that the Amboseli area has long been considered one of the most successful examples of anti-poaching efforts, thanks to which the elephant population here has remained stable.

Specialists from conservation organizations monitoring the local animal population have also been brought in to assist with the investigation.

In particular, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, which has been tracking the movement and condition of elephants in the region for many years, previously reported that as of 2025, more than two thousand of these animals lived in the Amboseli ecosystem.

Source: BBC