Nearly 400 elephants died in southern Africa in 2020 – the pachyderm’s death baffled experts. There is speculation as to whether the coronavirus could be responsible and whether there is a risk to humans. After three years, researchers are baffled as to what caused the mass extinction.
For three years it was unclear why the animals died in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Some elephants simply collapsed as they walked. Poaching was ruled out because the tusks were still there.
Bacteria caused blood poisoning
Now the cause has apparently been found: an actually harmless bacterium would have led to the death of the animals, report veterinarians from the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, an NGO in Zimbabwe. Microorganisms from the Pasteurellaceae family caused blood poisoning in the pachyderms.
The bacterium had previously only been discovered in other species, such as lions and tigers; it could have entered the elephants’ bodies through bites. It has also been found to be a cause of death in dead antelopes.
The animals’ immune systems may be weakened
The researchers have a theory as to why the otherwise harmless bacteria had such devastating effects on the pachyderms. At the time of death they were looking for food. The long migrations, drought and lack of food could have taken such a toll on the animals that the pathogen simply overwhelmed their immune systems, said scientist Falko Steinbach, who was involved in the study.
Taking the samples for the study three years ago was extremely difficult. Veterinarians searched for the carcasses with a helicopter and performed autopsies on fifteen of them. Under the scorching African sun, the researchers had to wear special clothing. At this time, the highly contagious anthrax disease could not yet be ruled out as a cause of death. The fact that the research takes so long has to do with the quality of the samples; many carcasses were already in a serious state of decomposition when they were taken.
Source: Krone
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