In brief
Fifteen elephants were discovered dead on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park, Kenya, between June 24 and July 24, 2026. Kenya Wildlife Service laboratories detected cyanide in the animals’ tissues, pointing to poisoned tomatoes sprayed by nearby farms. The deaths, including paralysed and abruptly dying individuals, were not linked to poaching. Officials report the plant toxins pose no immediate danger to humans and warn that expanding agriculture may further endanger the elephant population. The incident marks the largest cluster of elephant fatalities in the region in decades.
Cyanide‑laden tomatoes found after 15 elephants died on the edge of Kenya’s Amboseli National Park.
Elephant authorities say the tiny pesticide that sprayed nearby farms may have entered the animals’ diet when they scavenged rotten tomatoes. Preliminary laboratory tests of carcass tissue indicated cyanide, a deadly compound normally used in lawn chemicals.
The majority of victims were already paralysed when found, and the remaining five were dead on discovery. The deaths spanned a one‑month period and included elephants of all ages and genders, suggesting random exposure.
Officials have ruled out organised poaching or terrorism and say the toxins are unlikely to be harmful to local people, although the incident underscores risks from agricultural expansion near wildlife habitats.
Amboseli hosts over 2,000 elephants and is a major tourist attraction. The cluster of deaths represents the most serious elephant mortality event in the area in over a decade, despite concerted anti‑poaching success.
KWS is continuing investigations and urges farmers to re‑examine pesticide use closer to the park boundaries.
Image caption: A family of elephants walking together across the Amboseli plains, 2018.
