In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, 350 African elephants died suddenly and mysteriously in northeastern Botswana. Many theories have been put forward to explain what exactly caused this mass die-off.

A mass die-off of African elephants in Botswana in 2020 has been linked to toxic algae in watering holes in a new study.

With no evidence of poaching, the mystery of sudden mass elephant deaths deepened. As the death toll rose to an alarming 350, a theory started to surface. Could toxic algae blooming in the elephants’ watering holes be responsible?

Scientists from the United Kingdom are closing in on solving the mystery of the mass death of 350 elephants in Botswana in 2020. Satellite data analysis suggests that toxins from cyanobacteria and climate change are possible causes,

A study led by King's College London has provided further evidence that the deaths of 350 African elephants in Botswana during 2020 were the result of drinking from water holes where toxic algae populations had exploded due to climate change.

A study by King's College London reveals that toxic algal blooms, possibly intensified by climate change, caused the mysterious mass deaths of over 350 elephants in Botswana in 2020. The study used satellite data to correlate algae growth in waterholes with the regions where elephants died.

While cyanobacteria were among the suggested causes of the mass elephant deaths in 2020, evidence tying the microbes to the event was limited. Poaching, drought and infection by other bacteria were also suggested causes, but restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that investigation on the ground was limited.

New data from satellites has provided further evidence that the deaths of hundreds of endangered Botswanan elephants were the result of climate change. A new analysis found that the mass die-off in 2020 was likely tied to toxic algae in watering holes.