Cyanide poisoning kills 15 elephants in Amboseli, KWS confirms [Photo: Courtesy/Reuters]
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has confirmed that 15 elephants found dead in the Amboseli ecosystem were killed by cyanide poisoning, raising fresh concerns over the safety of one of Africa's most important elephant populations.
The elephants, ranging in age and sex, were found over the past month in Kimana Sanctuary, Kuku Ranch and other community lands between 15 and 30 kilometres from Amboseli National Park.
Most of the animals died outside the protected park, where elephants frequently move between conservation areas and neighbouring ranches.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide in tissue samples collected from the carcasses, with investigators believing the elephants ingested tomatoes contaminated with the toxic chemical.
