The deaths of 15 elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem have triggered growing concern among wildlife conservationists, farmers and authorities, after initial investigations suggested that the animals may have been exposed to toxic chemicals used on tomato crops near Amboseli National Park. However, experts working with elephants have questioned whether pesticides are responsible, saying the available evidence does not yet provide a clear explanation for the deaths.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) recently reported that elephants found dead between June 24 and July 24 had displayed symptoms including partial paralysis, raising suspicions of poisoning. According to KWS chief veterinarian Dr Isaac Lekolool, samples collected from the stomachs of some of the dead elephants contained traces of cyanide. Authorities believe the toxin could potentially have entered the animals’ bodies through pesticides used on nearby farms, although they have not ruled out other possibilities, including deliberate poisoning.
Lekolool said the investigation was still at an early stage and that it was too soon to establish exactly what caused the deaths. He described the incident as unusual, noting that wildlife authorities had not previously encountered a similar cluster of elephant deaths within such a short period. Investigators are therefore examining whether agricultural chemicals could have been an unintended source of exposure.
The suspected pesticides are associated with tomato farming in the Kimana area, which forms an important wildlife corridor connecting Amboseli National Park and Tsavo National Park in southern Kenya. The wider Amboseli ecosystem extends towards the Tanzanian border and supports more than 2,000 elephants that move through the region in search of food and water. The agricultural areas around Kimana benefit from water flowing from Mount Kilimanjaro and produce tomatoes and other crops for markets in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya.
Concerns over the use of hazardous agricultural chemicals have been raised previously. A 2024 report by the Kenyan food safety initiative Route to Food identified the use of an insecticide in the Kimana area whose active ingredient was described as a cyanide-based chemical compound. Report author Wangunyu Njuguna said illegal and highly toxic agrochemicals can enter Kenya through the border with Tanzania, where differences in regulatory enforcement can make it difficult to control what chemicals farmers obtain and use.
Despite existing regulations restricting dangerous agrochemicals, conservationists say enforcement remains a major challenge. They also warn that the potential impact of such chemicals on wildlife is not always adequately considered.
However, some experts have expressed serious doubts about the pesticide explanation. Paula Kahumbu, a prominent Kenyan conservationist who has worked with elephants for nearly three decades, said there was insufficient information to confidently conclude that pesticides were responsible. She argued that the quantity of contaminated crops an elephant would need to consume to receive a lethal dose must also be considered.
The pattern of deaths has further complicated the theory. Of the 15 elephants that died, only one was an adult male. Conservation experts pointed out that male elephants are generally more likely to enter agricultural areas because they tend to take greater risks while searching for food. This has raised questions about why the deaths predominantly involved other groups of elephants.
Local landowners have also questioned the findings. Daniel Nina, who represents landowners in the area, said communities had lived alongside elephants for decades without witnessing a similar incident. He also questioned why other animals that feed in the same areas, including zebras, antelopes and wildebeests, had apparently not been affected in the same way.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a long-running human-wildlife conflict in Kenya. Farmers in the Kimana region frequently face damage when elephants and other wild animals enter agricultural fields. Tomato farmer Stephen Michael said elephants from Amboseli and Tsavo occasionally destroy crops, causing substantial financial losses. He recalled losing cabbages worth nearly $1,535 during a previous elephant raid, in addition to damage to his tomato crop.
Conservation organisation Save the Elephants has described land-use change as one of the biggest pressures facing Amboseli’s elephant population. Its chief executive, Frank Pope, said the problem was no longer primarily about ivory but about the increasing competition for land and resources. As farms, lodges and other developments expand into areas traditionally used by elephants, encounters between wildlife and local communities are becoming more frequent.
The availability of water and fertile soil makes the same areas attractive to both farmers and elephants, intensifying competition between agriculture and wildlife. Conservationists say that protecting wildlife corridors while also safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods will be essential to reducing such conflicts.
For now, the precise cause of the 15 elephant deaths remains uncertain. Further testing and investigation will be needed to determine whether cyanide exposure from agricultural chemicals was responsible, whether deliberate poisoning was involved, or whether another factor caused the deaths. The uncertainty has also heightened fears that other elephants could remain at risk and that communities living alongside the animals could face further conflict if the underlying cause is not identified.
