Ten lions have been found dead in a suspected poisoning incident at Tanzania’s UNESCO-listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area, according to the authorities.
“The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) regrets to inform the public that ten (10) lions were found dead on 18 September 2026 in the Ndutu area,” reads the statement from late Saturday.
Authorities said preliminary findings suggest that the lions died after “ingesting poison”, adding that an expert investigation was ongoing “to determine the cause of the incident and identify those responsible”.
Ngorongoro has been the scene of long-standing tensions between the authorities and the local nomadic community. Clashes have sometimes turned deadly since the government launched an eviction programme in 2022.
The Tanzanian government argues that population growth is encroaching on wildlife habitat, with the number of people living in Ngorongoro rising from about 8,000 in 1959 to more than 100,000.
Since June, at least 20 elephants have died in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem, near the Tanzanian border, from suspected pesticide poisoning, although authorities could not establish whether the deaths were accidental or deliberate.
Officials said suspects linked to the incident have been detained for grilling.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said the first 15 elephant deaths were recorded between June 24 and July 24, 2026, prompting the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), security agencies, investigators and scientific institutions to launch a multi-agency inquiry.
The investigation has since expanded following the deaths of three additional elephants, bringing the total number of reported deaths to 18.
Miano said comprehensive field investigations, laboratory analysis and environmental sampling had been conducted as authorities sought to establish what caused the deaths.
“Preliminary laboratory results point to the probable involvement of a toxic substance,” she said.
Earlier findings had indicated the possibility of cyanide poisoning linked to the ingestion of pesticide-contaminated tomatoes sourced from farms adjacent to wildlife habitats.
However, the CS cautioned that the findings were still preliminary and would require further scientific verification before investigators could reach a definitive conclusion on the cause of death.
The multi-agency operation has so far resulted in the arrest of four persons of interest, while investigators are pursuing another individual believed to possess information relevant to the case.
A search operation conducted in Tikondo, Kimana, within Loitoktok Sub-County, also led to the recovery of assorted substances, including chemicals suspected to have been sourced from a neighbouring country.
The recovered materials, some of which were unlabelled and considered potentially toxic, have been secured for further scientific examination.
Miano, however, stressed that the arrests and recovery of the substances did not, by themselves, establish criminal responsibility.
She said the Government would allow investigators and the courts to determine whether the suspects had committed any offence.
“Any person established to have unlawfully killed, poisoned or harmed wildlife will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” she said.
The CS described the Amboseli deaths as more than a wildlife conservation matter, saying they constituted a national conservation and security concern.
She noted that Kenya’s wildlife occupies diverse landscapes and seascapes, including national parks, reserves, sanctuaries, conservancies, forests, rangelands, wetlands and coastal and marine ecosystems.
“Every wild animal, irrespective of species or location, forms part of the national heritage and merits protection under the law,” she said.
The Government, she added, was reinforcing measures to protect wildlife through intelligence-led operations, surveillance, scientific investigations, law enforcement and rapid response mechanisms in vulnerable areas.
By Agencies
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
