Authorities in Botswana on Tuesday announced the puzzling death of 56 elephants in the Seronga and Eretsha villages in the North-West of the country, adjacent to the Okavango Delta.
Oduetse Koboto, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism said veterinary officers have ruled out the possibility of poaching because all carcasses of the elephants were found intact.
“A total of 12 deaths were recorded last week compared to 44 that were registered on March 18, 2020,” said Koboto.
He further said preliminary investigations regarding the cause of deaths are currently ongoing while surveillance operations are underway to trace any more dead elephants.
Communities in Seronga and Eretsha have been cautioned against the consumption of meat of such dead animals, as they may be detrimental to their health and authorities have implored communities to report any sightings of elephant carcasses.
