Kenya names likely cause of mass elephant deaths
The cause of the mass deaths of elephants in Kenya near Amboseli National Park was likely cyanide poisoning.
This was reported on July 29 by the Citizen Digital portal, citing the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
"Over the past month, 15 elephants have died in the ecosystem of Amboseli National Park, having succumbed to cyanide poisoning after ingesting pesticides sprayed on nearby tomato plantations," the publication says.
According to a statement by KWS Director General Erastus Kanga, poisoning by agricultural chemicals is indicated by a preliminary laboratory analysis of samples taken from the animals' carcasses.
According to the portal, the Kimana reserve suffered the greatest losses: five adult females and one calf died there within a short period of time.
"Kimana is one of the main tomato-growing areas in Kajiado County," the outlet writes.
It is specified that specialists are continuing close monitoring of the elephant herds as part of a further investigation into the causes of their poisoning.
