Four white rhinos, other animals die after drinking polluted water in Zimbabwe: Video
Four white rhinos in Zimbabwe have died after drinking from a sewage-polluted lake, which is also the main water source for Harare.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) confirmed the deaths, attributing them to cyanobacteria, a toxin found in the polluted water.
The rhinos were not the only victims. Over the past week, three zebras, four wildebeest, four fish eagles, and several goats and cattle also succumbed to the poisoning after drinking from Lake Chivero, located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Harare.
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, is highly toxic to both animals and humans.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo explained that the pollution in Lake Chivero is primarily due to the Harare city council depositing raw sewage into the lake.
"The city of Harare is depositing raw sewage into the lake. You know very well that a lot of activities polluting the lake that is happening there," he said.
Despite efforts to deter wildlife from accessing the contaminated water by placing salt blocks and game nuts around the park, as well as providing artificial water points with clean water, the measures proved insufficient.
"We have put salt blocks within the park. We have also introduced some water bodies, not from the lake, which we felt that it was clean water but because the animals are used to drinking water from the lake, it was really difficult for us to make sure that the rhinos or any other animals in the park drink water not from the lake but from what we have introduced."
Meanwhile, the same pollutant has been confirmed to have killed several elephants in Botswana in 2020.
Over 350 elephants in Botswana's Okavango Delta died after consuming water tainted with toxic algae.
