Cyanide traces point to possible cause of 15 elephant deaths near Amboseli
Kenya Wildlife Service officials say samples from elephants that died near Amboseli contained cyanide traces, with investigators examining whether farm chemicals entered the animals’ food.
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- Kenya Wildlife Service officials say samples from elephants that died near Amboseli contained cyanide traces, with investigators examining whether farm chemicals entered the animals’ food.
Traces of cyanide found in samples from elephants that died near Kenya’s Amboseli National Park have given investigators a possible explanation for a cluster of 15 deaths recorded between June 24 and July 24, 2026.
Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga said the deaths were likely linked to pesticides used on tomato farms near the Kimana sanctuary and Kuku Group ranch, The Guardian reported. Isaac Lekolool, the agency’s head of veterinary and capture services, said the stomach contents of one elephant included many tomatoes, supporting an agrochemical-poisoning line of inquiry.
The findings remain preliminary. The wildlife service had earlier said 10 of the elephants showed partial paralysis before dying and that initial tests detected a potentially toxic substance.
The wider Amboseli ecosystem, including neighboring conservancies, supports more than 1,600 elephants. Officials warned that livestock could also be exposed if the suspected chemical is present in farms used by animals.
The new laboratory evidence advances an investigation first announced after the unexpected deaths. It does not yet establish whether the exposure was accidental or deliberate.
