GABORONE, (The Southern African Times) – Botswana is investigating the deaths of 11 elephants in the Okavango Delta in the north-western part of the country, wildlife officials have announced.
Initial reports by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks indicated that five elephants were found dead in the wildlife protected area of Moremi Game Reserve at Delta. A team of experts has been dispatched to the area to investigate the cause of the deaths, said wildlife officer Dimakatso Ntshebe Saturday.
However, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism said the number of dead elephants has increased to 11. In a press statement from the Ministry, the 11 carcasses were found around the same area in the game reserve. There is no evidence of poaching as elephant tusks were found intact.
Officials are hoping to find the cause of the deaths before the situation escalates to an alarming rate as happened in 2020 when at least 300 elephants died from bacteria found in water in the area.
