Botswana’s Elephant Crisis: A Cyanobacteria-Driven Tragedy — Project Proposal.

<p>In the vast landscapes of Botswana, a silent crisis unfolds &mdash; one that challenges our understanding of nature&rsquo;s balance.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Officials from Botswana stumbled upon hundreds of carcasses near their Okavango Delta during the summer months.</a>&nbsp;After going on a brief helicopter exploration, officials returned with startling numbers. Although expecting to find a potential cause of death, maybe poachers, they found 169 dead elephants. Why were all the elephants in one area? Why were these already endangered creatures dying so rapidly?</p> <p>The culprit wasn&rsquo;t a predator, nor a disease in the traditional sense. It was something far more insidious, lurking where least expected. Local veterinary scientists identified an overgrowth of cyanobacteria, which produce neurotoxins, in the elephants&rsquo; drinking water. We commonly know this as blue-green algae.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@muhammad.e.k.arif/botswanas-elephant-crisis-a-cyanobacteria-driven-tragedy-project-proposal-fd6d321e3816"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>