Lead image for Toxic substances seized, four farmers arrested over elephant deaths in Amboseli .
A three-day intensive multi-agency operation in the Amboseli ecosystem has led to the arrest of four farmers, three men and a woman, suspected of involvement in the poisoning of elephants between June 24 and July 26 in Kajiado County, as the death toll rises to 18.
A range of toxic substances suspected to have been smuggled into the country from a neighbouring country has also been seized as investigators intensify efforts to solve the animals' mass death paradox.
The operation, which concluded on Friday, was conducted by a team comprising Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers and National Intelligence Service (NIS) personnel.
It followed extensive field investigations, laboratory analysis and environmental sampling aimed at establishing the cause of the elephant deaths and identifying those responsible.
At least 10 of the initial 16 elephants exhibited similar clinical signs, including partial paralysis that left them unable to stand before dying within one to two days.
The remaining five carcasses, according to KWS's earlier report, were too decomposed or had been scavenged, making it impossible to establish the cause of death.
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The condition primarily affected adult females and their calves, with only one adult male. The adult’s animal’s tusks were reported intact at the time of death and were removed and kept in a KWS strong room.