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“This is a mass die-off on a level that hasn’t been seen in a very, very long time. Outside of drought, I don’t know of a die-off that has been this significant,” said Dr Niall McCann, the director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue.

The Botswana government has not yet tested samples so there is no information on what is causing the deaths or whether they could pose a risk to human health. The two main possibilities are poisoning or an unknown pathogen. Anthrax – initially considered the most likely cause – has been ruled out.

McCann said: “When we’ve got a mass die-off of elephants near human habitation at a time when wildlife disease is very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it seems extraordinary that the government has not sent the samples to a reputable lab.”

Local witnesses say some elephants were seen walking around in circles, which is an indication of neurological impairment. “If you look at the carcasses, some of them have fallen straight on their face, indicating they died very quickly. Others are obviously dying more slowly, like the ones that are wandering around. So it’s very difficult to say what this toxin is,” said McCann.

Elephants of all ages and both sexes have been dying, local reports found. Several live elephants appeared weak and emaciated, suggesting more will die in the coming weeks. The true number of deaths is likely to be even higher because carcasses can be difficult to spot, say conservationists.

Source: Hundreds of elephants dead in mysterious mass die-off

Botswana held its first auctions for the right to hunt elephants since lifting a ban last year.

The country has some 130,000 elephants, the largest population in the world.

The government sold seven hunting licences on Friday, with each allowing hunters to kill 10 elephants in “controlled hunting areas”.

Officials revoked a 2014 ban in May, saying human-elephant conflict and the negative impact on livelihoods was increasing.

The lifting of the ban has been popular with many in rural communities, but has been heavily criticised by conservationists.

 

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How did the auctions work?

Seven packages of 10 elephants each were sold at the auction in the capital Gaborone on Friday afternoon, the BBC’s Southern Africa correspondent Nomsa Maseko reports.

Only companies registered in Botswana were allowed to bid for the licences. Bidders put down a refundable deposit of 200,000 pula ($18,000; £14,000).

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The government has issued a quota for the killing of 272 elephants in 2020.

The hunting would help areas most impacted by “human wildlife conflict”, wildlife spokeswoman Alice Mmolawa told AFP news agency.

Source: Botswana auctions off permits to hunt elephants