Kenya Veterinary Association warns of public health risk after cyanide kills 15 Amboseli elephants
The Kenya Veterinary Association KVA has called for immediate action from national and county governments following the deaths of 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem. Preliminary tests confirmed cyanide in the carcasses, leading the Kenya Wildlife Service KWS to suspect the elephants ingested the poison from pesticide-sprayed tomatoes on farms in the Kimana sanctuary and Kuku Group ranch areas. KVA President Dr. Kelvin Osore raised concerns about public health, questioning how cyanide potent enough to kill elephants might not harm humans who consume the same produce. The KVA urged the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and Health, to audit and test tomato yields from the Kimana area. They also demanded a transparent investigation into how the restricted chemical was obtained, including social media claims of its origin from illicit gold mining. Dr. Osore compared the incident to cyanide poisoning of elephants in Zimbabwe and emphasized the need to address human-wildlife conflict through land-use planning, protected wildlife corridors, and non-lethal methods for managing crop damage.
