The animals were discovered in Tanzania's world-famous Ngorongoro region
Wildlife authorities in Tanzania's renowned Ngorongoro Conservation Area are looking into the possibility that poison was the cause of death of ten lions. Initial examinations conducted on Friday indicated that the animals had likely consumed a poisonous substance before their demise. Lions and other big carnivores have been poisoned on multiple occasions in East Africa, a region with a long history of predator-livestock conflict.
Tourists from all over the globe flock to Ngorongoro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Tanzania, to see the lions, elephants, buffalo, and black rhinos that call this place home. According to AFP, however, the population of the Ngorongoro region has increased from 8,000 in 1960 to over 100,000 now, and as a result, related problems are becoming increasingly common. Officials have not yet decided if the deaths of twenty elephants in Kenya's Amboseli region, close to the Tanzanian border, were intentional or caused by pesticide poisoning.
Global Conservation focuses on Global Park Defense and Community Protection to help conserve the last African Forest Elephants and Great Apes in Cameroon's Dja Rainforest Complex.