Elephant Mass Deaths: Scientists Uncover the Mystery
Scientists have solved the mystery of the mass die-off of 35 elephants in Zimbabwe in 2020. After ruling out intentional poisoning, poaching, and drought conditions, researchers discovered that the elephants died from septicemia caused by a bacteria known as Bisgaard taxon 45. Although the bacteria is not known to kill African elephants, scientists suspect climate change-induced factors like heat, drought, and population density may have contributed to the transmission of the bacteria. The deaths in Zimbabwe were not believed to be connected to a separate mass die-off of elephants in Botswana, which was attributed to blue-green algae contamination.