Sunday Sketches - The Athenaeum

Der Erlkönig by Melanie Clouthier-Coleman

Science Fact of the Week

Botswana’s lake causing mysterious Elephants death, while other species remain unaffected

The Okavango Delta region in Botswana makes a home for a third of Africa’s elephant population which is now declining alarmingly. It became rousing when several elephants were spotted dead in the Okavango Delta between May and June. According to the officials, 330 elephants were recorded to be dead, considering poaching is not a cause of the death as their tusks were found intact. A common symptom is that they were found to appear dizzy before suddenly dropping dead. The reason for this mysterious death is toxins present in lake water which is the major source of water for the residing elephants. The officials were assuming it’s the Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae can be deadly and since many elephants were found to be dead near the water bodies, it can be a reason for their death. Wildlife Authorities confirmed Cyanobacteria as the cause of prehistoric mass elephant die-offs. The interesting thing here was that no other wildlife species were affected by the toxic water which still remains the mystery of this case.

Author: Tanvi Dabas

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