A lactating female elephant has been found dead in the Bumi Hills area in Zimbabwe, with investigations revealing that she was poisoned with cyanide. This will be the second elephant poached in the area since December last year, but the first known due to cyanide poisoning.

The lactating state of the elephant suggests that there is an orphaned baby elephant somewhere in the area.

This method of poaching has already killed hundreds of elephants in the Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe, and is executed by poachers by mixing concentrated cyanide into coarse salt mixes, and left in areas frequented by elephants for them to ingest.

Toward the end of April this year, suspicious piles of coarse salt were also found at Musango Safari Camp to the east of Bumi Hills, near Lake Kariba, placed along strategic elephant paths and near natural water pans that were drying up. An analysis of the samples revealed they were mixed with a very concentrated form of cyanide. Four sites were discovered in total.

“This incident highlights how vulnerable Zimbabwe’s wild areas really are, and as this is the first known poisoning incident in our area, the poaching game has yet again changed, requiring us to change our tactics and vigilance,” said a spokesperson from the Bumi Hills Foundation.

Poisoning of Zimbabwe wildlife for poaching purposes has also been seen in vultures, as poachers recognise them as an early-warning system for poaching in the area.

The poisoned elephant carcass was cremated to decontaminate the area and prevent other wildlife from coming into contact with it.

A search is currently under way to find out if there is an orphaned elephant calf.