07/30/2026
STATEMENT ON AMBOSELI ELEPHANT DEATHS
Over the last month, there has been a string of worrying, unexplained elephant deaths in the Amboseli Ecosystem. The first death was recorded on June 25th, and since then we have recorded 8 deaths in the areas patrolled by Big Life rangers. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has reported a total of 15 deaths, including those in Amboseli National Park.
KWS has taken samples from multiple carcasses to determine the cause of death. We have refrained from any public comment while we waited for the announcement of the laboratory results, which have been reported in the last 24 hours.
Toxicology testing has detected cyanide in the samples, and KWS has concluded that this is the most likely cause of death, pending further testing to determine if the cyanide concentrations were high enough to be lethal (some plant species produce cyanide and so the substance can be present in herbivores at non-lethal levels).
While there is currently much speculation about the source of the toxin, there is no clear evidence of where it came from, or whether it was intentionally introduced or not.
The most recent death was 8 days ago, and so we hope that the threat has now passed. We are monitoring all of the affected areas and elephants extremely closely. We are also working hard with KWS and other partners to identify the source of the toxin.
We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and concern for Amboseli's wildlife.
๐ธ: Jeremy Goss
