Kenya: Four arrested over suspected poisoning of elephants - BBC News

An investigation is looking into whether the deaths were caused by pesticides sprayed on tomato crops.

Image source, EPAImage caption, The remains of Genghis Khan, an 11-year-old bull elephant, lay near the outskirts of Amboseli National Park

Four people have been arrested in Kenya as part of an investigation into a spate of mysterious elephant deaths over the past two months, officials have said.

Three Kenyans and one Tanzanian have been detained on suspicion of poisoning at least 18 elephants in the Amboseli National Park, the Kenya Wildlife Service told the BBC.

The investigation is looking into whether the elephants died from cyanide poisoning after eating large quantities of tomatoes sprayed with illegal pesticides.

Preliminary laboratory tests have found traces of cyanide in samples of the crops taken from the elephants' stomachs.