First clues emerge in elephant death mystery :: Mmegi Online

Post-mortems done by local veterinarians and laboratories show ‘no definitive cause’ behind the deaths of at least 281 elephants in the country’s northwest, only deepening the mystery. Information passed to Mmegi Staff Writers, THALEFANG CHARLES and MBONGENI MGUNI however does reveal some surprising findings

Local post mortems into elephant fatalities in the northwest showed no definitive cause of deaths, but a “high parasitic” burden was found throughout the gut of one carcass, an Environmental ministry report passed to Mmegi shows.

Local veterinarians and the National Veterinary Laboratory conducted postmortems and tests on several samples from deceased elephants and the results only deepened the mystery, requiring the input of international biologists and labs.