Horror as ten lions found dead after ‘poisoning’ at popular wildlife reserve in Tanzania

TEN lions were found dead at a wildlife reserve in Tanzania after allegedly being poisoned. The lions’ bodies were tragically discovered in the Ngorongoro wildlife reserve on Friday, the Conservation Area Authority said in a statement. The ten lions are believed to have been poisoned Credit: Alamy Four men were arrested in connection to the killings Credit: Alamy The area’s management authority said: “Preliminary findings suggest the ‌animals may have died after ingesting poison.” They have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the killings and identify the culprits. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the country’s top tourist attractions. Among the wide range of wildlife are lions, elephants, buffaloes and endangered black rhinos. The diverse landscape, which features highland plains, savanna, and forest, was designated as a multi-use area in 1959. According to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists live alongside local wildlife in the reserve. They said: “The property has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, the density of wildlife inhabiting the area, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains. “Extensive archaeological research has also yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.” Most read in The Sun Poisoning has sadly been a significant threat to large carnivores across East Africa, often due to conflicts between the predators and livestock owners. Just last month, four suspects were arrested by police investigating the deaths of 18 elephants in Kenya, but have since been released on bail. Large carnivores are often killed by humans due to conflict with livestock owners Credit: Alamy Animal poisonings have become a growing issue across East Africa Credit: DHUB_Search_Alamy_NUK The tourism and wildlife ministry said officials confiscated various materials including chemicals. Initial speculation hinted at the use of cyanide poisoning linked to eating pesticide-contaminated tomatoes from farms bordering Amboseli National Park. Early lab tests suggest a toxic substance is likely involved, the ministry stated on Saturday. However, many wildlife experts question the pesticide theory, noting the absence of deaths among other animal species. Frank Pope, CEO of conservation organisation Save the Elephants, told the BBC that land use has replaced ivory as the main threat to Amboseli’s elephants. He said: “People are moving into areas where there’s enough water to grow crops, and fertile soils, and those are the very areas that the elephants tend to use as well.” In early January, Lion Guardians, a Kenyan organisation said six lions were lost in a poisoning incident near the Kenya-Tanzania border. The discovery of 30 dead vultures in the area implied that poisoning was the likely cause of death. Comment now