Kenya: Recent elephant deaths thought to be linked to pesticides

There’s concern among Kenyans, following the news that the recent deaths of more than a dozen elephants may have been due to pesticides.

Several days ago, the Kenya Wildlife Service reported that some of the elephants that died had shown signs of partial paralysis, that suggested poisoning from cyanide used in pesticides.

The chief vet of Kenya’s wildlife service said traces of cyanide were found in the elephants’ stomachs, and that they are not ruling out deliberate poisoning.

His theory is that the animals were exposed to cyanide through pesticides sprayed on nearby tomato farms.

Other experts argue that this is not the full picture and that there is not enough evidence to conclude that pesticides resulted in the deaths.

They say that males are more likely to enter fans as they usually take more risks, yet only one of the elephants that does was a male.

In addition, previous cases of poisoning have affected other animals such as zebras and antelopes, which raid the same locations.