An urgent probe is underway in southern Kenya after 15 elephants were found dead over the past month near Amboseli National Park.
The Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS, said experts are examining the carcasses and have sent tissue samples to labs to test for disease, poisoning and other possible causes. So far, officials say they have not found evidence pointing to one single cause.
All 15 deaths were recorded outside the park between June 24 and July 24, 2026, according to KWS. The bodies were spread across different locations about 15km to 30km from the park boundary.
The victims include elephants of different ages and sexes, which suggests the deaths are not limited to one herd or group.
This is the first time in decades that so many elephants have died at once in the Amboseli ecosystem, an area that crosses into Tanzania and is home to more than 2,000 elephants as of 2025, per data from the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Conservation groups note that poaching has been successfully reduced in the region in recent years.
KWS said the investigation is ongoing and results from the lab tests are pending.
The Amboseli ecosystem is one of Kenya’s most famous wildlife areas, known for large elephant herds often seen with Kilimanjaro in the background.
