The 15 elephants that died at Amboseli National Park in Kenya over the past weeks were killed by cyanide poisoning after eating tomatoes sprayed with pesticides on nearby tomato farms, according to an official investigation.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) confirmed the elephants were killed by cyanide poisoning based on preliminary investigations. 

“Earlier indications show that the samples we delivered there are remnants of what we call cyanide, and cyanide is a highly toxic chemical, particularly for elephants; if elephants consume cyanide, they cannot survive a day or two,” KWS Director General Prof. Erastus Kanga said on Wednesday.

KWS Head Veterinary and Capture Service, Dr Isaac Lekoolol, said they noticed that some of the elephants showed signs of paralysis before they died. 

“Just before their deaths, we were noticing that some of them were becoming recumbent and they were going down. We also noticed some signs of paralysis on the front limbs,” Mr Lekoolol said. 

He stated that in the Kimana Wildlife Sanctuary, one herd lost six elephants, including adult females and calves, within a very short period.