Earlier this year, more than 350 elephants mysteriously died in the Okavango delta in Botswana. After months of work, scientists have whittled the cause down to two leading theories – neurotoxins in algal blooms or a rodent virus known as EMC (encephalomyocarditis). Algal bloomsLocal sources estimate that 70% of elephants in Okavango in Botswana died near waterholes, many of which contained blue-green algal blooms. Rising temperatures and intensive farming methods are fuelling an increase in algal blooms in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and seas around the world. “[In Botswana] there were anecdotal stories that these elephants just dropped stone dead in their tracks – and that fits with EMC.

Source: The Guardian September 03, 2020 13:30 UTC