Illustration of an elephant.
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HOerwin56
The 12 elephants found dead this weekend near a reserve in Zimbabwe have succumbed to a bacterial infection.
These are the conclusions relayed by the authorities responsible for wildlife on Tuesday.
The carcasses were discovered at the end of the week in Pandamasuwe forest, near Hwange Park.
The rangers had initially feared poisoning of young elephants, aged two to six, by poachers.
But their tusks were intact and no other animals, including vultures, had been hit.
A problem of overpopulation
The young elephants were too small to reach the leaves at the top of the trees.
They no doubt ingested the bacteria by browsing poisonous plants, explained the spokesperson for the Authority in charge of national parks.
The pachyderms are "in such overpopulation that their favorite vegetation has disappeared," continued the spokesperson.
“They end up eating anything.
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Zimbabwe has more than 84,000 elephants, with an estimated ecological capacity of between 45,000 and 50,000 individuals.
In the Hwange reserve, which has 45,000 to 53,000 elephants, many of them have died of hunger and thirst in recent years.
In 2013, at least 300 elephants also died of poisoning near water points in the reserve.
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elephant
Animals
Zimbabwe
Bacterium