Researchers report rare bacterial cause for 350 elephant deaths in Botswana and Zimbabwe

PTC News Desk: The enigmatic and sudden deaths of over 350 African elephants in Botswana's Okavango delta and the northwestern regions of Zimbabwe during May and June of 2020 left the scientific community and the public in a state of bewilderment. These magnificent creatures were found lifeless, scattered across the landscape, without any apparent signs of poaching-related injuries.

The distressing event affected elephants of all ages and genders, exhibiting a troubling pattern of walking in circles before succumbing to abrupt deaths, often collapsing onto their faces. Moreover, roughly two months later, an additional 35 elephants met a similar tragic fate in northwestern Zimbabwe.

Initially, the authorities in Botswana attributed the deaths to an unspecified cyanobacterial toxin, revealing no further details. However, tests conducted on the deceased elephants in Zimbabwe have finally yielded a cause: a little-known bacterium known as Pasteurella bisgaard taxon 45, which led to septicaemia, or blood poisoning.

The bacterial infection, as reported in the Nature Communications journal, had not previously been linked to elephant fatalities. Researchers are now considering the possibility that this bacterium could be responsible for the deaths in neighbouring countries as well.

In their published paper, the collaborative team of international researchers, including experts from the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, the University of Surrey, and research laboratories in South Africa, expressed the significant conservation concern this poses for elephants, especially considering their status as an endangered species.

Notably, the research also received contributions from specialists at the UK government's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

African savanna elephants are experiencing a distressing decline, with their population decreasing at a staggering rate of 8 per cent annually, primarily due to the threat of poaching. With only 3,50,000 remaining in the wild, this new study underscores the importance of adding infectious diseases to the list of challenges facing these majestic and endangered creatures.

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- With inputs from agencies

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