Ten Lions Found Dead in Tanzania, Probe Underway

Tanzanian authorities are investigating after 10 lions were found dead on September 18 in the Ndutu area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with preliminary findings suggesting they may have ingested poison. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority has launched an expert inquiry to determine the cause of death and identify anyone responsible, but no final laboratory findings, motive or arrests have been announced. The deaths have heightened concern in the UNESCO-listed reserve, which is a major tourism destination and habitat for lions, elephants, buffalo and endangered black rhinos. The incident comes amid long-running tensions between Tanzanian authorities and local communities over conservation policies and a resettlement program, as well as separate suspected pesticide-poisoning deaths of at least 20 elephants in Kenya’s nearby Amboseli ecosystem.