100 Elephants Found Dead in Zimbabwe

A combination of climate change and El Niño has killed more than 100 elephants in the nation's Hwange National Park.  The Park is home to approximately 45,000 elephants.  The rainy season began weeks later than usual and forecasts are for a hot, dry summer.  Zimbabwe used to reliably experience a rainy season beginning in October.  Lately, the rains have become erratic with more prolonged dry spells. More than two hundred elephants died in 2019 due to a severe drought. Park authorities fear a repeat mass die-off.  Most affected are the old, young and infirm.  An average sized elephant needs about 52 gallons of water a day.  Rangers remove tusks from carcasses to discourage poachers.

A conservation NGO has been pumping 1.5 million liters a day into waterholes from wells it owns in conjunction with th park agency. Hwange, which extends over 5600 square miles is unusual, since it does not have a major river flowing through it, so animals rely on 100 solar-powered wells to provide water.  Elephants provide an ecological service by distributing seeds in their dung, enabling trees to regenerate.  Trees soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide and release oxygen.