肯尼亚Amboseli国家公园附近在6月24日至7月24日期间发生15头大象神秘死亡事件[1]。肯尼亚野生动物保护局在象胃中发现氰化物痕迹，初步推断大象可能因暴露于当地番茄农场喷洒的含氰化物农药而中毒[1]。
然而，这一结论遭到保护人士的质疑。保护倡导者Paula Kahumbu表示："我们还没有获得足够详细的信息来确信这种死亡是由于作物中的农药导致的"[1]。此外，死亡象群的构成也引发了怀疑——15头死象中仅有1头为成年雄象，这与大象的正常觅食行为规律不符[1]。
该地区人象冲突日益加剧。番茄农民Stephen Michael因象群侵袭损失了近1,535美元的蔬菜[1]。根据2024年Route to Food报告，Kimana地区存在广泛使用含氰化物非法杀虫剂的问题[1]，反映出该地区在农药管制和执法方面存在的漏洞。
Fifteen elephants died under mysterious circumstances in the Kimana region near Kenya's Amboseli National Park between June 24 and July 24, 2025. [1] The Kenya Wildlife Service initially attributed the deaths to pesticide poisoning, having detected cyanide residues in the stomachs of the deceased animals and theorizing that the elephants were exposed to cyanide-containing insecticides sprayed on nearby tomato farms. [1]
However, conservation experts have challenged this conclusion as premature. Paula Kahumbu stated that "We haven't got enough detailed information to have confidence in this claim that it's due to pesticides in crops." [1] Conservationists point out that the death pattern does not align with typical elephant feeding behavior, noting that only one of the fifteen dead elephants was an adult male, which contradicts how elephant herds typically forage. [1] A 2024 Route to Food report had documented the use of illegal cyanide-based pesticides in the Kimana area, underscoring the broader context of pesticide misuse in the region. [1] The incident also reflects escalating human-wildlife conflict, as local tomato farmer Stephen Michael reported losses of nearly $1,535 worth of vegetables to elephant herds. [1]