Tanzanian wildlife to investigate death of 8 elephants from ‘strange disease’

The Tanzanian wildlife officials have announced that they will investigate into the recent deaths of eight elephants from a 'strange disease'. The case was already taken up by Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute based in Arusha. The Institute officials said that the unidentified disease including the demise of eight elephants is the first kind of incident seen in Tanzania.

The disease, characterised by haemorrhage through the trunks that eventually leads to the animals collapsing, has claimed the lives of elephants living in Loliondo Game Controlled Area and Makuyuni, located outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park and the Serengeti National Park. Deputy wildlife officer at the Ngorongoro District Council Joseph Meng'oro said veterinary officers had sent samples of blood from the dead jumbos to the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency for screening, as reported by The East African.

According to the officials of Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, the disease had affected elephants living outside protected parks, mostly in open places and in controlled areas that lack veterinary services. The carcasses for those eight elephants, feature bleeding trunks (nose bleeding), strange coloured stools, sudden drunk-like dizziness while moving, before the jumbos collapsed

Whereas, the wildlife researchers further said that the disease could have been spread by elephants that migrated to northern Tanzania from areas where wildlife is not monitored, mostly in open areas outside the national parks.