Dozens of elephants mysteriously dropped dead in Zimbabwe. Now, researchers know why.

Several years ago, dozens of elephants mysteriously dropped dead in Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

Now, researchers finally know why.

Over several months of 2020, 35 African elephant carcasses were discovered in the Kavango–Zambezi conservation area, which encompasses five countries and is home to Africa’s largest population of elephants.

Intriguingly, the carcasses showed no signs of outward trauma or distress; their skin was bite-free, and their tusks were intact, which ruled out predators and poachers as the cause of death.