The mysterious death of at least 20 elephants since June in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem has raised alarm among wildlife rangers and local communities, as authorities investigate a mysterious illness affecting the animals.
Footage shows the carcass of an 11-year-old male elephant known as Genghis Khan lying on dry ground in Kitenden B Community Conservancy, with parts of the body having been scavenged by stray dogs and other animals. The video also shows farmers in the area tending to tomato crops.
After surviving for six days amid efforts by wildlife officers to treat him, Khan was seen struggling to stand up and appeared weak before eventually passing away.
Patrick Papatiti, director of the Olgulului Community Wildlife Rangers, said Kitenden B alone has lost five elephants after the animals have displayed similar symptoms, including weakness in their front legs, before collapsing.
“Once they fall down, that is the end of it,” Papatiti said. “They may not die immediately, but it at least takes two to three days. But Khan was able to stay for six days.”
Kenya Wildlife Service has a detected high concentrations of cyanide in some carcasses, raising concerns that the elephants could have been poisoned after eating pesticide-treated crops from nearby farms.
However, farmers and conservationists have questioned that explanation. Papatiti said subsequent expert findings disputed the presence of cyanide in pesticides or on farms in the Amboseli area.
The pattern of deaths has also raised doubts over the poisoning theory. Papatiti said many of the dead elephants were young bulls rather than the older animals commonly associated with crop raids.
“When you look deeper into it, these are young bulls. These are young elephants that are dying, not the notorious farm raiders that we know,” he said.
Farmers in the area say elephants regularly enter their fields and eat mature tomatoes, maize and beans. Farmer Saibulu Litan said that these crops have never previously caused elephants to die. “It is a disease that’s killing the elephants,” Litan added.
The deaths have raised wider concerns because elephants are a major part of the local tourism economy, with surrounding communities benefiting from the visitors.
“Losing Khan, for example, who is a young bull within the ecosystem, is losing the future of breeding in Amboseli,” Papatiti stressed. “We see him as a resource for us. We see him as part of the families that we’ve had within the ecosystem.”
Community ranger Lesidai Kipelian said the deaths are a serious economic blow to residents. “When they die, it is a big crisis because it’s a source of income to many through tourism,” he said.
The Amboseli ecosystem straddles the Kenya-Tanzania border and is renowned for its elephant population. Officials say elephant mortality on this scale has not been recorded in the area for decades, following successful efforts to curb poaching.
According to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, more than 2,000 elephants were recorded across the ecosystem as of 2025.
Wildlife officials and conservationists are continuing to investigate the deaths, with rangers warning that the toll could rise if the cause of the illness is not identified and addressed.
Source: Viory
