World
Did toxic algae kill hundreds of elephants in Botswana?
An investigation into the sudden deaths of at least 350 elephants in Botswana in 2020 has revealed the cause was almost certainly a “toxic brew” of open water tainted by a species of cyanobacteria that released cyanotoxins, essentially contaminating the elephants’ watering holes.
According to researchers, approximately 20 watering holes in Botswana’s Okavango Delta had been contaminated across roughly 6,000sq km (2,316 square miles).
So what happened, and how?
What is cyanobacteria and how does it harm elephants?
Although not all cyanobacteria, commonly referred to as blue-green algae, is toxic, some cyanobacteria can produce a type of deadly algal blooms (HABs) in standing water. This is the type which was discovered in the investigation carried out by researchers at King’s College London.
The study showed that the African elephants (Loxodonta africana) died in May and June 2020 after drinking from water holes contaminated with these toxic algal blooms.
“Scientists believe that the production of cyanotoxins is related to certain environmental triggers, for example, sudden rise in water temperature, nutrient loading, salinity,” Davide Lomeo, Earth observation scientist at King’s College London, a collaborator with Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Natural History Museum in London, and lead researcher in the recent study, told Al Jazeera.
How did the elephant deaths come to light?
In early to mid-2020, a series of routine aerial surveys conducted by helicopter by the conservation organisation, Elephants Without Borders, revealed multiple elephant carcasses scattered across the landscape of the Ngamiland district of northern Botswana.
The aerial survey showed 161 elephant carcasses and 222 sets of bones, while also counting 2,682 live elephants throughout the eastern region of the Okavango Panhandle. In addition, the distance between the dead elephants indicated the deaths had been sudden, rather than gradual.
“The strong clustering of carcasses also suggests that the event was sudden, with limited dispersal of elephants prior to death,” the authors of the study said.
How did researchers identify toxic algae as the cause of death?
Before researchers confirmed it was toxic algae which killed the elephants, they had to rule out several other probable causes.
“Although this area is a known poaching hotspot in Botswana, this was ruled out since elephant carcasses were found with tusks intact,” the authors of the study said.
Other initial theories included virulent and bacterial causes, such as encephalomyocarditis virus or anthrax, but the evidence taken from the field – such as the age of the dead elephants and the absence of any clinical signs of disease, meant the researchers ruled these out as the cause.
The distribution of carcasses and bones suggested a unique “spatial pattern”, which indicated that localised factors may have played a role in the mass die-off. This led to further exploration of specific environmental and ecological conditions in the affected areas.
There were several other factors that served as evidence that the elephant watering holes were to blame. Using satellite photos, researchers measured the distance the elephants walked after they drank from the watering holes – an average of 16.5km (10.2 miles). Many of the elephants died shortly thereafter, roughly 3.6 days (88 hours), after they drank from the nearby contaminated water holes.
The report states that 88 hours aligned with previously reported toxicological timelines for other large mammals which have died from blue algal poisoning.
In addition, Lomeo’s previous body of doctoral work investigating the history of mass-mortality events and water quality in waterbodies in Africa served as evidence to further look into the theory of water hole contamination.
“This event was what led to this idea, since it was a well-covered news at the time, but no one really knew why they died. I then applied my skills in geospatial and computational data science to investigate the event under a well-known set of methods typically applied in epidemiological investigations (eg COVID-19),” explained Lomeo.
What is still unknown about the elephant deaths?
It is impossible to measure the level of toxicity for each waterhole from aerial photos. In addition, it is unclear whether elephants drank from one watering hole or several, according to researchers.
“It is highly likely that they drank from multiple pans before their death. It cannot be established if the fatal intoxication occurred in a single drinking event, but it seems more plausible that if cyanotoxins were present and were the cause of the die-off, this was through toxins bioaccumulation in elephants’ organs,” stated the study.
Although it is clear that the toxic waterholes were the likely source of the elephants’ mass mortality, there remains some uncertainty about the findings due to the timing of the mass die-off.
“The event occurred during the COVID-19 movement restrictions, and timely intervention was not possible. Therefore, tissue samples [which would have confirmed the presence/ absence of cyanotoxins] were not collected. Post-mortem investigations also need to be done within a certain timeframe, beyond which samples would be too degraded. Additionally, cyanotoxins cannot be detected from satellites, so the links can only be but indirect,” Lomeo explained.
As the aerial data was collected considerable time after the deaths in March and May 2020 – researchers could not definitively rule out the involvement of other animals in the elephant deaths.
Furthermore, smaller creatures may have been missed in the aerial survey, potentially limiting scientists’ understanding of the full scope of the incident.
“The area is well-known for very high predation rates, meaning that animal carcasses disappear quickly because of scavengers like hyenas and vultures. Hence, the involvement of other animals cannot be ruled out,” Lomeo said.
The specific conditions that would produce the level of toxicity in a watering hole that would be lethal to surrounding animal species are also still unknown.
“There is still uncertainty. We know that certain cyanobacteria species are more likely to produce cyanotoxins, and we know which toxins each species typically produces,” said Lomeo.
According to the research, cyanotoxins exhibit significant variations in their potency and effects. Certain types are extremely toxic, capable of causing death even in very small concentrations. Others, while less immediately dangerous, may still pose health risks at higher levels without necessarily being lethal. The field of cyanotoxin research remains active, with many aspects yet to be fully understood and explored.
Despite this, the overall findings of the study have been widely accepted. “The cause of the die-off has been officially attributed by the Government of Botswana to environmental intoxication by cyanobacterial toxins, also known as cyanotoxins,” the study’s authors said.
Could this happen again?
Although mass deaths of elephants are rare, researchers cannot be certain it will not happen again and that it will only affect elephants or land animals.
“[In] all arid systems where animals are dependent on stagnant water in lakes/ponds are susceptible to this [mass die-offs], the aquatic life in lakes also can be harmed in this same manner. We have even seen this in rivers and oceans where high nitrification from agricultural run-off combined with warming temperatures leads to disastrous bacterial blooms,” George Wittemyer, a behavioural ecologist at Colorado State University, one of the institutes involved in a study in Kenya that revealed that elephants use individual names, told Al Jazeera.
While it was relatively easy for researchers to identify the elephant carcasses from the air due to their size, the sudden deaths of smaller animals might not be so easy to identify.
World
Social Security lists thousands of living immigrants as dead to prompt them to leave, AP sources say
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has moved to classify more than 6,000 living immigrants as dead, canceling their Social Security numbers and effectively wiping out their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to get them to leave the country, according to two people familiar with the situation.
The move will make it much harder for those affected to use banks or other basic services where Social Security numbers are required. It’s part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to crack down on immigrants who were allowed to enter and remain temporarily in the United States under programs instituted by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The Trump administration is moving the immigrants’ names and legally obtained Social Security numbers to a database that federal officials normally use to track the deceased, according to the two people familiar with the moves and their ramifications. They spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the plans had not yet been publicly detailed.
The officials said stripping the immigrants of their Social Security numbers will cut them off from many financial services and encourage them to “self-deport” and abandon the U.S. for their birth countries.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the 6,000-plus immigrants were chosen. But the Trump White House has targeted people in the country temporarily under Biden-era programs, including more than 900,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. using that administration’s CBP One app.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status of the immigrants who used that app. They had generally been allowed to remain in the U.S. for two years with work authorization under presidential parole authority during the Biden era, but are now expected to self-deport.
Meanwhile, a federal judge said Thursday that she was stopping the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with temporary legal status to leave the country later this month.
A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment on the news that living immigrants were being classified as dead. The agency maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who have died, and the file contains more than 142 million records, which go back to 1899.
The Privacy Act allows the Social Security Administration to disclose information to law enforcement in limited circumstances, which includes when a violent crime has been committed or other criminal activity.
DHS and the Treasury Deprartment signed a deal this week that would allow the IRS to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.
The acting IRS commissioner, Melanie Krause, who had served in that capacity since February, stepped down over that deal.
In March, meanwhile, a federal judge temporarily blocked a team charged with cutting federal jobs and shrinking the government led by billionaire Elon Musk from Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a “fishing expedition.”
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, an advocacy group that has challenged various Trump administration efforts in court, said her organization would likely sue over the Social Security numbers as well, once more details become available.
“This President continues to engage in lawless behavior, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances,” Perryman said.
China has been ramping up its military actions around Taiwan in what one top commander warned on Thursday are not just drills, but “rehearsals.”
“China’s unprecedented aggression and military modernization poses a serious threat to the homeland, our allies and our partners,” Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. “With military pressure against Taiwan increasing by 300%, China’s increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals.”
Soldiers take up positions during military drills in Jiangxi, China, on Jan. 29, 2023. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
CHINA LAUNCHES LARGE MILITARY DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN TO ISSUE ‘SEVERE WARNING’
Beijing has long looked to assert its dominance over Taiwan as it aims to “reunify” the island with mainland China in a move the West and Taipei have warned is against Taiwan’s wishes and would disturb the region’s status quo.
Taiwan identifies as a sovereign nation. However, it is officially recognized by China, the United Nations and the U.S. as part of the “One China” policy – though the U.S. has increasingly warned Beijing against disrupting regional stability by forcibly “reunifying” the island with the mainland.
“While the [People’s Liberation Army] PLA attempts to intimidate the people of Taiwan and demonstrate coercive capabilities, these actions are backfiring, drawing increased global attention and accelerating Taiwan’s own defense preparations,” Paparo said.
People’s Liberation Army launches joint military operations around Taiwan island. (People’s Liberation Army, China)
TAIWAN’S PRESIDENT TARGETS CHINA INFLUENCE, KICKS OUT PRO-BEIJING AGITATORS AMID RISING TENSIONS
But it is not only China’s military posture toward Taiwan that concerns top military commanders.
“China’s outproducing the United States in air missile, maritime and space capability and accelerating these,” Paparo said. “I remain confident in our deterrence posture, but the trajectory must change.”
The Indo-Pacific commander warned that China is outstripping the U.S. in the production of fighters at a rate of 1.2 to 1, and warned that the U.S. is falling behind when it comes to shipbuilding, as well as some missile and space-based capabilities.
A screen grab captured from a video shows the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launching large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft on May 24, 2024. (Feng Hao/PLA/China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“They built combatants at the rate of 6 to 1.8 to the United States,” Paparo told the lawmakers, in reference to China’s investment in producing ships, aircraft and weaponry.
“We’ve got to get at the problems of why we don’t have enough [of a] combat logistics force – and that’s shipbuilding. Why we don’t have enough labor,” Paparo said. “And those are looking hard at pay and incentives in order to recruit and retain those people.”
One of NATO’s largest annual naval exercises, the Black Sea drill “Sea Shield 25”, is meant to improve cooperation between NATO countries and prepare for different types of threats. The drill comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region, with the Black Sea playing a strategic role on NATO’s eastern flank.
1,600 Romanian troops are participating alongside 11 partner states — Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States and Turkey.
Dozens of ships, patrol planes, helicopters, and approximately 2,600 troops from 12 allied countries are participating in the exercise, which simulates a range of scenarios, including hybrid threats to maritime and aerial attacks. The complex training operations include live-fire exercises and attack simulations designed to ready NATO’s response capabilities.
Roughly 64 kilometres off the Romanian coast, an alarm pierces the calm sea air. An unidentified target has been spotted on radar, starting an immediate alert across the fleet. Air support readies, and an IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter lifts off on a maritime reconnaissance mission.
Modernisation as well as constant vigilance required
Among the participating units is the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group, created in 2023, which plays a crucial role in neutralising potential underwater hazards. “There is the danger of drifting mines, which impacts operations,” explains Lieutenant-Commander Cătălin Harabagiu, commander of the Combat and Operations Service aboard the frigate ‘King Ferdinand’: “We must learn to work and operate together and speak the same language.”
The exercise also involves special forces, combat divers, and experts in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defence, simulating a wide range of modern warfare scenarios.
Rear-Admiral Cornel Cojocaru, Commander of Romania’s Navy Fleet, emphasised the necessity of modernisation and constant vigilance. “Since the war began, there have been threats and that the Russian Black Sea fleet has carried out attacks on Ukraine both with surface ships, submarines, and aviation,” he said. “We need modern technology just as we need highly trained personnel.”
The exercise offers NATO forces an opportunity to refine their strategies and reinforce collective defence measures in the Black Sea.
The exercise was organised for the first time in 2015, and this year’s edition is coming to an end on 11 April after twelve days of thorough drills.
Video editor • Lucy Davalou
A Fatal Helicopter Crash in the Hudson River
ACLU of Michigan files lawsuit over international student visa revocations
Fox News – Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Video
SF mom says legal aid helped keep her family housed, but budget cuts could eliminate program
Cowboys news: How Cowboys’ last five first-round picks have fared
-
Technology1 week agoThe FAA hiding private jet details might not stop celebrity jet trackers
-
News1 week agoSupreme Court Rules Against Makers of Flavored Vapes Popular With Teens
-
News1 week agoNYC Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case is dismissed
-
Technology1 week agoHere’s how you can preorder the Nintendo Switch 2 (or try to)
-
World1 week agoWill European agriculture convert to new genomic techniques?
-
News1 week agoTrump to Pick Ohio Solicitor General, T. Elliot Gaiser, for Justice Dept. Legal Post
-
News1 week agoTrump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Are Coming, but at a Cost to U.S. Alliances
-
Politics1 week agoFBI flooded with record number of new agent applications in Kash Patel's first month leading bureau