330 elephants in Botswana may have died from toxic algae The sudden deaths of some 330 elephants in northwestern Botswana earlier this year may have occurred because they drank water contaminated by toxic blue-green algae, the government announced MondayGABORONE, Botswana -- The sudden deaths of some 330 elephants in northwestern Botswana earlier this year may have occurred because they drank water contaminated by toxic blue-green algae, the government announced Monday. The unexplained deaths ceased after the water pans dried up, said Taolo, in a press conference in Gaborone, the capital. No other wildlife species were affected by the toxic water in the Seronga area, close to Botswana's famed Okavango Delta, said Taolo. With an estimated 130,000 elephants, Botswana has the world's largest population of the pachyderms which attracts international tourists. The deaths happened mainly near seasonal water pans and did not spread beyond the initially affected region, he said.

Source: ABC News September 21, 2020 13:19 UTC