Four suspects have been taken into custody in Kenya following the deaths of at least 18 elephants in the Amboseli National Park over the past two months.
The Kenya Wildlife Service said three Kenyan nationals and one Tanzanian are being investigated over allegations that the animals were deliberately poisoned.
Authorities are examining whether cyanide was responsible for the deaths after the elephants reportedly consumed tomatoes treated with banned pesticides.
Early laboratory analysis detected cyanide in crop material recovered from the animals’ stomachs.
The affected wildlife, largely adult females and young calves, reportedly suffered paralysis before dying, a symptom investigators say is consistent with cyanide exposure.
The farms supplying the tomatoes are located around Kimana, an important wildlife passage linking Amboseli and Tsavo national parks in southern Kenya.
The wider Amboseli ecosystem extends towards the Tanzanian frontier and is home to more than 2,000 elephants, which regularly travel across the region in search of water and vegetation.
Wild animals frequently enter agricultural areas bordering the parks in search of food, creating tensions between farming communities and wildlife.
Investigators suspect that prohibited agricultural chemicals may have been brought into Kenya illegally from Tanzania through the largely open border.
Although Kenya has laws banning the use of certain dangerous pesticides, officials acknowledge concerns over inadequate enforcement and limited monitoring of their impact on wildlife.
The four suspects have since been granted bail as investigations into the deaths continue.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong