In 2020, over 350 elephants died in Botswana due to toxic waterholes contaminated with cyanobacteria, releasing deadly cyanotoxins that affected their drinking water.
Researchers found that approximately 20 watering holes in Botswana's Okavango Delta were contaminated. The algal blooms produced cyanotoxins that led to the elephants' sudden deaths.
The investigation conducted indicated environmental triggers for the toxic blooms, such as rising temperatures and nutrient loading, which are critical to understanding the phenomenon.
Aerial surveys revealed multiple carcasses of elephants scattered across northern Botswana, confirming that the deaths, occurring in May and June 2020, were sudden.
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