Botswana solves elephant mystery

Toxins kill elephants in Botswana - 5th October 2020

350 African elephants died in Botswana. Scientists didn't know why. Now, the government has the answer. There was a problem in the water. Elephants drink from waterholes. There were toxins in the waterholes. Toxins kill animals.

People are worried about African elephants. There aren't many in the world. Botswana’s government is worried too. Elephants are very important in Botswana. Tourists visit them. Botswana needs money from tourists.

At first, scientists thought the water was OK. Other animals drank the water. No other animals died.

But, elephants drink a lot of water. They stay in the water for a long time. So scientists changed their idea.

Mmadi Reuben is an animal doctor. He works for the Botswana government. He checked the waterholes. There were toxins in the water. The toxins come from algae. Algae is a very small plant. It lives in water and makes toxins.

There was a lot of algae in the waterholes. Climate change helps the algae grow. There will be a lot of extra algae in the future. The waterholes will have a lot of toxins in them. Next year, the Botswana government will check the waterholes. No one wants elephants to die.