Farmers in Kenya dispute that cyanide poisoning could have killed 16 elephants

KIMANA, Kenya (AP) — The carcass of one elephant lies on a dusty road, while another has been almost completely eaten by scavengers, leaving just the skull. They are among 16 elephants that died last month in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park from suspected cyanide poisoning after eating tomatoes in nearby farms.

Investigations are ongoing into how cyanide found its way into an ecosystem where wild and domestic animals coexist. Growers have disputed claims that cyanide from their tomatoes killed the elephants.

The elephant deaths and disputes about the cause have intensified concerns over growing human-wildlife conflict in the region due to expanding agricultural activities near Amboseli park. Kenya has until recently been widely recognized for rebuilding its elephant population from historic lows to more than 36,000 individuals by reducing poaching.

Kenya's Wildlife Service said last month that 15 elephants had died in the Amboseli ecosystem in a span of a month. The service updated the numbers to 16 on Friday. Preliminary laboratory tests detected cyanide, while postmortem examinations found tomatoes in the animals’ stomachs.

The wildlife service on Friday said it requested the Pest Control Products Board to establish a team to investigate whether the chemical “may have been improperly used, stored, or disposed, and whether water, soil, or grass may have been contaminated.”

The head of veterinary services at Kenya's wildlife agency, Dr. Isaac Lekolool, said the elephants had shown signs of “paralysis and difficulty breathing” before they died. Initial tests pointed to cyanide poisoning, although further laboratory tests are being done to determine the concentration of cyanide.

“We are yet to find out where this cyanide came from,” Lekolool said, adding that the elephants had also consumed watermelons. He urged caution over the handling and use of pesticides on farms.

Elvis Muchai has farmed on the edge of Amboseli for two decades. In all that time, he said, he has never heard of farmers poisoning wildlife, and he was skeptical that farmed tomatoes believed to have been contaminated with the chemical were to blame for the elephants' death.

Muchai, who farms tomatoes in Kimana area, said local communities have long coexisted with elephants despite suffering repeated crop losses when the animals cross the park’s electric fence and raid farms, particularly during the dry season.

“We are used to the animals eating from our farms,” he said.

Kimana, which borders Amboseli, is one of Kenya’s most productive agricultural areas, growing tomatoes, onions and French beans that are transported to markets to the capital, Nairobi.

The samples tested for toxic chemicals were obtained from the elephants' stomach contents and the analysis of blood samples is ongoing, Lekolool said. He disputed earlier claims that cyanide, which is regulated by the government for use in mining, may have been present in the park due to illegal mining.

Farms have expanded near the park and conflict between people and elephants remains the second leading cause of deaths after poaching, according to Kenya’s National Elephant Plan. Between 2000 and 2020, at least 1,160 elephants died in incidents linked to self-defense or retaliatory killings as communities sought to protect their crops, property and lives, the Plan notes.

But Duncan Juma, communications director of Kenya’s wildlife service, ruled out human-wildlife conflict in the death of the elephants, saying “the community loves these animals.”

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW, said the recent suspected cyanide poisoning highlights the urgent need to tackle the underlying causes of human-wildlife conflict.

“As people and elephants increasingly share space, protecting wildlife and safeguarding communities’ livelihoods must go hand in hand,” IFAW wrote in a statement.

IFAW’S East Africa director Ben Wandago said the reported cyanide poisoning must be “urgently and thoroughly investigated” and recommended that coexistence solutions to protect communities living near the park be implemented.

“This tragedy also underscores the urgent need for the strict control and responsible handling of highly toxic substances to prevent them from entering the natural environment,” he said.

Farmers are doubtful that the cyanide could have originated from commonly used agricultural inputs.

Muchai said he has never encountered cyanide among the pesticides or chemicals sold to farmers in the area and insisted that products available on the market are regulated by the Kenyan government.

“The chemical they are talking about, we’ve never seen it or heard of it here,” he said.

Last season alone, Muchai said elephants destroyed about half an acre of his tomato crop, costing him an estimated 500,000 Kenya shillings ($3,800).

“We have lived with these animals for years. They eat our crops, and many of us have never received compensation,” he said.

Another farmer, Rymondy Mrosso, also questioned whether pesticides used by local farmers could explain the deaths and wondered why only elephants appeared to have been affected.

“We have goats, cows and other wildlife such as gazelles that also feed in these areas,” he said. “If the crops were poisoned, why were only the elephants affected?”

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A herd of elephants walks across Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Farmers spray pesticides at a tomato farm in Kimana, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

An elephant walks past a homestead in the Kitenden village, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Women harvest tomatoes in a field in Kimana, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

The carcass of an elephant suspected to have died from pesticide poisoning lies in the Kitenden village, on the outskirts of Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff knew in 2024 that a student had reported being gang raped at a fraternity house, but never followed up to learn what had happened to her or whether any of the accused students had been punished.

In an interview with The New York Times published Tuesday, a day before Cornell’s Faculty Senate began debating a no-confidence resolution in his administration, Kotlikoff acknowledged that he did not know until recently that the woman had dropped out of Cornell or that students had been expelled or suspended over the incident.

Kotlikoff publicly addressed what he called “deeply disturbing” allegations involving drug use and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house in a November 2024 message to the Cornell community, saying criminal and university investigations were underway.

He subsequently convened a presidential task force to examine how Cornell handles sexual assault, but said this week that he never followed up to learn the outcomes of the criminal or Title IX investigations into the woman’s allegations.

The case has drawn national attention since the woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints.

On Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year and plans to give state police a role in investigating sexual assault reports.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to pursue charges after reviewing a summary prepared by Cornell University Police, but later said it omitted key details. He reopened the investigation after the lawsuit was filed. Gov. Kathy Hochul subsequently removed him from the case, appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor and ordered an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the allegations.

The Cornell Faculty Senate's proposed resolution, declaring no confidence in the administration's ability to handle reports of sexual assault on campus, reflects growing concerns among some faculty members that people who report sexual misconduct face institutional barriers and fear retaliation. Some have called for Kotlikoff’s resignation, while others have urged patience as independent investigations proceed.

Kotlikoff was to address the Faculty Senate before members began debating the resolution. Debate was expected to continue Oct. 28, followed by electronic voting by the Faculty Senate, which has approximately 130 voting members. A simple majority is required for passage.

For Ariana Kim, an associate music professor at Cornell and co-sponsor of the resolution, Kotlikoff’s acknowledgment that he had not followed up on the woman’s case was deeply troubling.

“I mean, that’s appalling in and of itself, right?” Kim said. “That you don’t know about a student who faced an alleged horrific crime, that you don’t think to check in.”

Kim, a Grammy-nominated violinist, said she was motivated to take action after being struck by Jane Doe's story, as well as her own personal experiences on campus since she started at Cornell a decade ago as a young academic in her 20s. She said when she experienced bullying and sexual harassment by senior colleagues, Cornell failed to properly document her complaints and that she was never clearly informed what disciplinary action, if any, had been taken.

“I was asked what I had done to provoke the situation,” she said.

Kim said she continued to be expected to work alongside colleagues she said had harassed her. Her efforts to avoid them later became a point of criticism during her tenure review. In one instance, a senior professor cited her unwillingness to accept his advice and her avoidance of him in explaining his vote against granting her tenure.

Kim spent more than a year appealing the initial denial of tenure, a process during which she said she lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and struggled to eat or sleep. The original decision was ultimately overturned, and she secured tenure.

Now seeking promotion to full professor, Kim said she recognizes that publicly criticizing university leaders could again jeopardize her career.

“I’m speaking out publicly against this administration that may very well deny my promotion,” she said.

Kim said she has considered leaving Cornell many times over the years but is determined to stay and make the university safer for those who come after her.

“If by me fighting, it helps move the needle a little bit so that my female students aren’t going through this in 10 years or my female colleagues aren’t going through this in five years, then maybe it’s worth it.”

Anne Marie Brady, a senior extension associate at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and another co-sponsor of the resolution, questioned whether Cornell University Police can independently investigate serious allegations of sexual misconduct.

“There doesn’t seem to be independence between the administration and the Cornell Police Department,” Brady said. She pointed to its handling of campus protests as one reason for her concerns and said serious criminal allegations should be investigated by outside law enforcement agencies.

Brady welcomed Kotlikoff’s announcement that state police would take on a role in sexual assault investigations, saying it showed the administration was listening to faculty concerns. But she questioned the timing, a day before the Senate was scheduled to begin debating the no-confidence resolution.

“I’m happy that they are listening — we need a dialogue,” she said. “We need to debate and discuss this. But I also feel it’s a bit disingenuous that it comes out just before the resolution.”

Demonstrators march from the Washington Monument to the White House during a "Stop Sexual Violence" protest in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators march from the Washington Monument to the White House during a "Stop Sexual Violence" protest in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)