Probe into Amboseli jumbo deaths at advanced stage, KWS says

Emmanuel Wanjala, The Star (Kenya), August 7, 2026

Investigations to determine what killed 16 elephants in the Amboseli-Kimana ecosystem have reached an advanced stage even as preliminary findings point to cyanide poisoning as the most probable cause. In an update, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said it was awaiting the completion of confirmatory laboratory tests before making a final conclusion on what killed the animals. The jumbos, mainly adult females and calves, were reported dead between June 24 and July 31.

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Kenyan farmers dispute cyanide poisoning claim in deaths of 15 elephants

TRT World (Turkey), August 7, 2026

The carcass of one elephant lies on a dusty road, while another has been almost completely eaten by scavengers, leaving just the skull. They are among 15 elephants that are said to have died of suspected cyanide poisoning in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park after eating tomatoes in nearby farms. Investigations are ongoing into how cyanide found its way to an ecosystem where wild and domestic animals coexist and farms grow tomatoes and onions. Farmers are disputing claims that cyanide from their tomatoes killed the elephants.

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Thermal drones deployed in Kenya’s Amboseli Park to tackle human-elephant conflict

Aimable Twahirwa, Mongabay (U.S.), August 7, 2026

Dominic Mutua, a smallholder farmer from Inkoisuk village some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Amboseli National Park, has often clashed with two elephants that enter his farm and destroy crops. “We had to stay up guarding most nights and chasing them away,” Mutua told Mongabay in a telephone interview. The 2025 census conducted by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) recorded a population of 42,072 elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Kenya, 1,903 of which were counted in the Amboseli park and its surrounding areas.

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Elephant raids leave Tanzania’s Karagwe farmers facing food crisis

The Citizen (Tanzania), August 7, 2026

Residents of Nyakabanga Ward in Karagwe District, Kagera Region, have complained over delayed compensation payments following repeated elephant invasions that destroyed crops on their farms. The residents raised their grievances on Thursday, August 6, 2026, before the Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, during a public rally held in the ward. They reported that stray elephants regularly invade agricultural land and destroy various food and cash crops, leaving numerous families facing food insecurity.

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Any elephant debate needs science, not emotion alone

Mariana Balt, SA People (South Africa), August 7, 2026

The elephant debate around management often begins with emotion. Images of elephants being culled or darted evoke strong reactions, yet conservationists argue that decisions affecting Africa’s largest land mammal should rest on evidence rather than instinct. Across southern Africa, where elephant numbers remain healthy in many protected areas, the challenge is not simply how many elephants there are. It is how they interact with landscapes, wildlife and people.

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