Ava Black
9/23/20
“Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396.
This article described the newfound reasoning behind the deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana, Africa. In June 2020, 330 elephants mysteriously died; it was only until now that the cause of death was confirmed to be because the elephants ingested cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. This is a bacteria that can be found in standing water and can also grow in large blooms. Animals can be poisoned by high levels of this toxin. Originally, scientists were skeptical that the cause of death was from cyanobacteria, since this bacteria grows on the sides of ponds and elephants usually drink in the middle. However, most of the elephants that died were located near watering holes and as these watering holes dried up towards the end of June, the number of elephants dying decreased. There are still questions that remain, however, such as why the elephants only died in one specific area. Thus, there is still more information that has yet to be uncovered and understood.
This article is extremely relevant to today’s society as scientists warn that climate change may be the reason for these toxic blooms to occur. Humans are largely responsible for the increase in climate changes and it is necessary to understand that our actions impact species and ecosystems throughout the world. This event is just one example of how climate change is seriously disrupting the wildlife. Additionally, Botswana is home to a third of the Earth’s declining elephant population; it is the country with the largest amount of elephants. The fact that 330 of these elephants died in such a short period of time is incredibly concerning.
Overall, this article was very straightforward and easy to understand, however, it did lack specificity. This article gave basic information which was helpful because it thoroughly explained what cyanobacteria is and why it is a problem without being overly complicated. However, it did not go into enough detail regarding why scientists now believe that this bacteria was the reason for the elephant deaths, other than the fact that it is found in water. Thus one improvement that could be made would be for the authors to include more quotes from researchers and evidence of certain studies that show support the claim that the cyanobacteria killed these elephants. In general, it was still an informative article that provided enough information on the topic to allow for the reader to fully grasp the issue of the situation.
Megan Krestinski
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“Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396.
This review summarized well the article “Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria”. In this review, it is explained that in June 2020, 300 elephants died due to ingested cyanobacteria, a type of algae found in standing water. This algae can poison animals easily, especially elephants who drink from watering holes where this algae thrives. Scientists warn that climate change could be the reason the algae grows in the elephant’s habitat. This is one of many examples of climate change, that humans are causing, disrupting and killing wildlife and animals. Botswana is home to a third of the declining elephant population, so it is extremely concerning that 330 elephants died this quickly in one area.
One thing that the author could have done better was explaining how these tests were found, as it says in the article that scientists discovered these fatalities after months of testing in specialized laboratories. Another thing the author could have done better was stating that other possibilities for the fatalities were ruled out, because in the article it explains that they found that the tusks had not been removed, which rules out poaching, and they found that they did not die from anthrax poisoning.
A fact I found interesting from this article and review was that 330 elephants died from this algae. That is an extreme amount, especially for a population in decline, which is a major cause for concern.
Megan Krestinski
ReplyDeleteComment on Current Event Article #1
“Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396.
This review summarized well the article “Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria”. In this review, it is explained that in June 2020, 300 elephants died due to ingested cyanobacteria, a type of algae found in standing water. This algae can poison animals easily, especially elephants who drink from watering holes where this algae thrives. Scientists warn that climate change could be the reason the algae grows in the elephant’s habitat. This is one of many examples of climate change, that humans are causing, disrupting and killing wildlife and animals. Botswana is home to a third of the declining elephant population, so it is extremely concerning that 330 elephants died this quickly in one area.
One thing that the author could have done better was explaining how these tests were found, as it says in the article that scientists discovered these fatalities after months of testing in specialized laboratories. Another thing the author could have done better was stating that other possibilities for the fatalities were ruled out, because in the article it explains that they found that the tusks had not been removed, which rules out poaching, and they found that they did not die from anthrax poisoning.
A fact I found interesting from this article and review was that 330 elephants died from this algae. That is an extreme amount, especially for a population in decline, which is a major cause for concern.
Megan Krestinski
ReplyDeleteComment on Current Event Article #1
“Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396.
This review summarized well the article “Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria”. In this review, it is explained that in June 2020, 300 elephants died due to ingested cyanobacteria, a type of algae found in standing water. This algae can poison animals easily, especially elephants who drink from watering holes where this algae thrives. Scientists warn that climate change could be the reason the algae grows in the elephant’s habitat. This is one of many examples of climate change, that humans are causing, disrupting and killing wildlife and animals. Botswana is home to a third of the declining elephant population, so it is extremely concerning that 330 elephants died this quickly in one area.
One thing that the author could have done better was explaining how these tests were found, as it says in the article that scientists discovered these fatalities after months of testing in specialized laboratories. Another thing the author could have done better was stating that other possibilities for the fatalities were ruled out, because in the article it explains that they found that the tusks had not been removed, which rules out poaching, and they found that they did not die from anthrax poisoning.
A fact I found interesting from this article and review was that 330 elephants died from this algae. That is an extreme amount, especially for a population in decline, which is a major cause for concern.
“Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” BBC News, BBC, 21 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54234396.
ReplyDeletehttps://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/09/botswana-mystery-elephant-deaths-caused_23.html#comment-form
For my current event, I read a review by Ava on an article originally published in BBC News, titled “Botswana: Mystery Elephant Deaths Caused by Cyanobacteria.” First, Ava did an excellent job when writing her introduction because it immediately grabs the reader's attention by discussing the mysterious death of over three-hundred elephants. “This article described the newfound reasoning behind the deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana, Africa. In June 2020, 330 elephants mysteriously died; it was only until now that the cause of death was confirmed to be because the elephants ingested cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.” This caught my attention and made me want to continue reading. Ava also did a good job explaining the importance of Botswana to the elephants and overall biodiversity. For example, “Additionally, Botswana is home to a third of the Earth’s declining elephant population; it is the country with the largest amount of elephants.” This quote is a key point in the article. Lastly, I appreciate how Ava was able to make a connection between the topic and the reader by connecting this issue to climate change, an issue humans are responsible for.
Although her review was very well written, there are certain areas in which she could have improved. For example, she should have included more statistics on the toxic blooms because they allow the reader to understand the topic in greater depth. Secondly, Ava should have explained more about the toxic blooms and why they are dangerous for elephants.
Ava’s current event was very interesting to read and was very informative. Her current event has made me want to learn more about ways we can eliminate these toxic blooms and help the elephant population.