Dozens of elephants have died of thirst in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park as drought triggered by climate change and the global El Niño weather pattern dries up watering holes, Daphine Madhlamoto, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authorities (ZimParks) official, told Western media.
Environmentalists fear the loss of more elephants in the park, the official explained, noting that there are no major rivers flowing in Hwange and the animals rely on solar-powered boreholes that cannot draw enough water.
"We are relying on artificial water because our surface water has declined. Since elephants are water dependent, we are recording more deaths," Madhlamoto said.
She added that the park has experienced the effects of climate change with less rainfall.
Media said its reporters had spotted dozens of elephant carcasses near watering holes, and park officials said other elephants died in the bush, becoming easy prey for lions and vultures.
In early September, a ZimParks spokesman said a large number of elephants from Hwange Park had begun moving into neighboring Botswana in search of water.
Zimbabwe has about 100,000 elephants, the second largest population in the world (after Botswana), nearly twice the capacity of the country's parks.