Ten lions have been found dead in a suspected poisoning incident in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with authorities investigating how the animals died and who may be responsible.
The lions were discovered on 18 September in the Ndutu area, according to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA). Preliminary findings indicate that they died after ingesting poison.
“The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority regrets to inform the public that ten (10) lions were found dead,” the authority said in a statement.
The NCAA said an expert investigation was under way “to determine the cause of the incident and identify those responsible”. The circumstances remain unconfirmed.
The deaths come amid long-running tensions between conservation authorities and the area’s nomadic community. Clashes have occasionally turned deadly since the Tanzanian government began an eviction programme in 2022.
The government has argued that population growth is encroaching on wildlife habitat. The number of people living in Ngorongoro has risen from about 8,000 in 1959 to more than 100,000, according to the material provided.
Ngorongoro, a UNESCO-listed conservation area, is home to about 25,000 large animals and contains the densest known population of lions. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies lions as vulnerable, with habitat loss, declining prey numbers and human-wildlife conflict among the threats facing the species.
The suspected poisoning follows the deaths of at least 20 elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem since June. The elephants, in an area close to the Tanzanian border, are believed to have died from suspected pesticide poisoning, although authorities have not established whether the deaths were accidental or deliberate.
