Amboseli National Park: Kenya Elephant Deaths and Park Facts
Why in the news
An unexplained cluster of elephant deaths in Kenya’s Amboseli region prompted a probe by the wildlife authority after preliminary tests pointed to cyanide.
Key facts
- Deaths: 15-16 African elephants in a single month.
- Probe led by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
- Early tests: cyanide poisoning, likely from agrochemicals on neighbouring farms.
About Amboseli National Park
Earlier called the Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, it is among Kenya’s best-known parks and is nicknamed the “Land of Giants” for its free-ranging elephant herds with Mount Kilimanjaro in the backdrop.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Place | Kajiado County, southern Kenya, next to the Tanzania border |
| Landscape | Dry bed of a Pleistocene lake in a semi-arid savanna |
| National park status | 1974, after starting as a Maasai game reserve |
| UNESCO | Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1991, reflecting coexistence of Maasai herders, livestock and wildlife |
Exam angle
- Nickname: Land of Giants.
- Old name: Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve.
- Peak in the backdrop: Mount Kilimanjaro.
- Investigating body: Kenya Wildlife Service.