Hundreds of elephants in Africa mysteriously died, experts: may threaten human health
[Global Times reporter Evan] The British "Guardian" reported on the 1st that hundreds of elephants "mysteriously died" in the southern African country of Botswana. Experts from an animal protection organization in the UK said such large-scale elephant deaths have been very rare in history.
According to reports, in the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana in early May this year, elephants died of unexplained causes. Since then, the number of elephant deaths has risen all the way. More than 350 elephants have died in the past two months. The dead elephants have both male and female elephants, including all ages. Most of them died near the water source, or they suddenly fell to the ground, or they wobbled in circles and slowly died. Some observers said that more elephants will die in the future. "This is a disaster for elephant protection."
At present, researchers have not been able to determine the cause of elephant death. Some people speculate that the elephant may have died of a specific virus or toxin. Some witnesses believe that elephants walking around in circles before death may be a sign of damage to the nervous system. The Botswana government has not yet carried out sample tests on dead elephant carcasses, so it has been criticized by the outside world. Some biological experts said that considering the possibility of virus transmission, this strange phenomenon or the risk of threatening human health, failure to determine the cause of death of elephants as soon as possible may have serious consequences. Environmentalists urged the local government to send someone to guard the elephant ivory.