Abstract

The cause of deaths of 350 elephants in 2020 in a relatively small unprotected area of northern Botswana is unknown, and may never be known. Media speculations about it ignore ecological realities. Worse, they make conjectures that can be detrimental to wildlife and sometimes discredit conservation incentives. A broader understanding of the ecological and conservation issues speaks to elephant management across the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area that extends across Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Our communication addresses these. Malicious poisoning and poaching are unlikely to have played a role. Other species were unaffected, and elephant carcases had their tusks intact. Restriction of freshwater supplies that force elephants to use pans as a water source possibly polluted by blue-green algae blooms is a possible cause, but as yet not supported by evidence. No other species were involved. A contagious disease is the more probable one. Fences and a deep channel of water confine these elephants’ dispersal. These factors explain the elephants’ relatively high population growth rate despite a spell of increased poaching during 2014–2018. While the deaths represent only ~2% of the area’s elephants, the additive effects of poaching and stress induced by people protecting their crops cause alarm. Confinement and relatively high densities probably explain why the die-off occurred only here. It suggests a re-alignment or removal of fences that restrict elephant movements and limits year-round access to freshwater.

Highlights

  • The sudden die-off of savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in a small part of northern Botswana may be a matter of conservation concern

  • We argue restricted elephant movements made this sudden die-off much more likely

  • Lies the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia along which a fence demarcates the border with Botswana

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Summary

Introduction

The sudden die-off of savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in a small part of northern Botswana may be a matter of conservation concern. It evoked considerable media response and ongoing speculation about its cause of death (see Supplemental Information). From March to June 2020, routine helicopter-based surveys counted 350 elephant carcases in a fairly small area in the Ngamiland district of northern Botswana. They were between 1 day and 1 month since death

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