Age-sex structure of drought-driven African elephant (Loxodonta africana) mortality in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Ndlovu, M.; Madiri, Tinaapi H.; Madhlamoto, Daphine; Tadyanehondo, K.M.; Vambe, A.; Mungoni, E.

doi:10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01459

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Future launch of high spatial resolution sensors (order of 1-10 m) equipped with diagnostic wavebands for cyanobacteria pigment (around 620 nm), like those on current medium resolution (300 m) ocean colour sensors, would contribute greatly to diagnosing cyanobacteria dynamics in these ecosystems. Other causes, including poaching, have been previously ruled out 4 , and we also show here that water was widely available in the eastern Okavango Panhandle in 2020 and death by lack of water (or drought), which can occur in elephants 39 , does not seem plausible given the presence of water throughout the area at the time of the event. Factors other than cyanotoxicity might additionally have been involved, including bacterial infection, and could explain why elephants were uniquely affected and not other species also drinking from the pans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Carcass locations implicate cyanobacterial toxicity in a mass elephant mortality event in Botswana

Lomeo,

Tebbs,

Babayani

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The 2020 mass mortality of 350 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Botswana sparked global concern. These deaths have been linked to cyanobacterial toxins (cyanotoxins) in local watering holes (pans), but evidence remains inconclusive. Our study presents the first detailed spatial analysis that explores the relationship between the ecohydrology of 3,389 regional pans with the locations of deceased elephants. Our findings reveal a significant difference in the distribution of fresh versus older elephant carcasses (p < 0.001), suggesting that the die-off event deviates from typical regional patterns of elephant deaths. We identified twenty pans near the sites of fresh carcasses that experienced more phytoplankton (microalgae or cyanobacteria) bloom events in 2020 (n = 123) compared to the previous 3 years combined (n = 23), exhibiting the highest average phytoplankton biomass of the period 2015-2023 (Normalised Difference Chlorophyll Index > 0.2; p < 0.001). These findings suggest a high risk and likelihood of cyanotoxins as the poisoning source. Our spatial analysis indicates elephants walked an average of 16.5 km (± 6.2 km) and died within 88 hours (± 33 hours) from initial exposure, offering metrics that were previously unknown for elephants. This study presents important new evidence that implicates cyanobacterial toxicity in the 2020 mass die-off and provides a general framework for investigation of future mortality events of large mammals. We underscore the need to integrate spatial analysis and ecohydrological assessments to better monitor and mitigate animal mortality events and inform conservation strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Carcass locations implicate cyanobacterial toxicity in a mass elephant mortality event in Botswana

Lomeo,

Tebbs,

Babayani

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Low-quality forage and water shortage lead to starvation-induced mortalities of mammals [5]. For example, in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, animal mortality was reported to be caused by depletion of forage quality and quantity [23]. From the census report, effects of drought on wildlife in Kenya's protected areas had led to the death of wildlife species, migration, and human-wildlife conflicts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Constructed Water Pans on Mammal Distribution and Abundance. A Case of Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

Edwin,

Beldine,

Evans

et al. 2024

IJECC

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Aim: To assess the impacts of constructed water pan utilization on wildlife distribution and abundance in Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. Study Design: Ecological survey design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the dry season (June 2022) and wet season (October 2022) at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Methodology: Systematic sampling using belt transects was used in collecting data on mammals’ distribution and abundance. Results: Distribution patterns differed with species between seasons. For the dry season, results show that eland(r=-0.516, p=0.295), impala(r=-0.714, p=0.111), warthog(r=-0.754,p=0.08), waterbuck(r=-0.986,p=0.0003), and zebra(r=-0.657,p=0.156) had a strong negative correlation with distance from water pans. During the wet season, impala (r = -0.49, p=0.329), wildebeest (r = -0.26, p=0.623), and waterbuck (r = -0.71, p=0.111) showed a negative correlation, while warthog (r = 0.60,p=0.208) and zebra (r = 0.26, p=0.62)showed a positive correlation with increased distance from water. Conclusion: many mammals concentrated near the constructed water pans during the dry season due to the presence of forage and drinking water but dispersed out when ephemeral water sources and forage availability increased during the wet season.

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Climate change resilience strategies for safeguarding sustainable tourism in Zimbabwe

Chiwaridzo,

Dzingirai

2024

Environ Dev Sustain

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Age-sex structure of drought-driven African elephant (Loxodonta africana) mortality in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

Carcass locations implicate cyanobacterial toxicity in a mass elephant mortality event in Botswana

Carcass locations implicate cyanobacterial toxicity in a mass elephant mortality event in Botswana

Impacts of Constructed Water Pans on Mammal Distribution and Abundance. A Case of Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

Climate change resilience strategies for safeguarding sustainable tourism in Zimbabwe

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