Nairobi — Conservation organisations have called for an independent investigation into the deaths of fifteen elephants in Amboseli National Park, saying preliminary findings linking the animals to cyanide poisoning expose dangerous gaps in Kenya's pesticide regulation and wildlife protection.
The coalition, comprising the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), Nature Kenya, the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN), the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA Kenya) and the Route to Food Initiative, said the incident should be treated as a national environmental emergency requiring urgent action.
"The deaths of these elephants are not an isolated tragedy. They are a stark warning that hazardous pesticides continue to pose grave risks to wildlife, ecosystems and human health," the organisations said in a joint statement.
According to the lobby groups, preliminary investigations indicate the elephants died after ingesting cyanide-contaminated substances, raising fresh concerns over the use, storage and enforcement of controls on highly hazardous chemicals.
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UGM urges probe into toxin linked to elephant deaths
The organisations warned that the poisoning underscores systemic weaknesses in Kenya's pesticide governance, arguing that chemicals banned or severely restricted elsewhere remain accessible despite their potential to harm wildlife and communities.
"This incident demonstrates the urgent need to strengthen regulation, monitoring and enforcement of hazardous pesticides before more lives--both wildlife and human--are lost," they said.
The groups are demanding an independent and transparent investigation to establish the source of the cyanide contamination, identify those responsible and ensure those found culpable are prosecuted.
They also urged the government to tighten oversight of hazardous pesticides, accelerate reforms to phase out highly dangerous chemicals, and strengthen surveillance systems around protected areas to prevent similar incidents.
The conservationists further called for greater collaboration among wildlife authorities, environmental regulators, county governments and local communities to improve early detection and response to wildlife poisoning.
"We cannot continue to lose iconic wildlife to preventable poisoning while dangerous chemicals remain inadequately regulated. This tragedy must become a turning point for stronger environmental governance and biodiversity protection," the statement said.
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The deaths of the elephants have renewed scrutiny of pesticide regulation in Kenya, with conservationists warning that toxic chemicals threaten not only wildlife populations but also food systems, water resources and public health if left unchecked.
