Elephant death: They run in a circle and fall "directly on the face"

A mysterious elephant death is currently being observed in Botswana: over 350 animals have already died – but no one knows why the elephants die.

They lame, stagger, run in circles. Then they fall over. So suddenly that they fall directly on her face. These are the observations that animal rights activists of the organization "Elephants without Borders" recorded in their report, which they now passed on to several media. Accordingly, more than 350 elephants have died since May 2020, as reported, among other things, by the mirror and the Tagesschau.

A massive elephant death is currently being recorded in Botswana – which puzzles the government and animal rights activists. Carcasses of elephants were repeatedly found in the Okavango Delta within a few weeks. Not only the high number, but also the circumstances make researchers pay attention. Regardless of gender and age, the animals just seem to suddenly fall over.

The living elephants that animal rights activists were able to observe were also seen as struck, disoriented and confused. "We observed an elephant running around in a circle and, despite the help of other animals from its herd, was unable to change direction," EWB boss Michael Case is said to write in the report. This could indicate a nervous system disorder. A large part of the elephants were close to water holes, whether they were poisoned, but is still unclear, especially since no other animal carcasses were found.

Reasons for elephant death unexplained

The lack of a cause worries experts. Poaching can be ruled out due to the presence of tusks, as well as common causes of death such as an anthrax and cyanide poisoning. So far, only elephants and not their scavengers are said to be affected. Therefore, there is a suspicion that there may be an unknown plague behind the mass extinction.

The head of the British organization "National Park Rescue" is alarmed by "The Guardian": "This is a mass extinction at a level that has not existed for a very, very long time," warns Dr. Niall McCann. "If you look at the carcasses, some of the elephants fell directly on the face," he continues. There is no evidence of a natural cause for the high death rate of the elephants.

Samples of the carcasses are said to have been sent in for analysis, as reported by SWR3. A connection with the corona pandemic is also to be investigated.

Sources used: The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Tagesschau.de, SWR3, Tagesspiegel, Elephants without Borders