Context: Recently, More than 350 elephants have died in northern Botswana in a mysterious mass die-off described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”.
Key Points

• The cause of the deaths is yet to be established. However, poaching has been ruled out since the dead elephants were found with tusks.
• Several live elephants appeared to have been weak, lethargic and skeletal, with some showing signs of disorientation, difficulty in walking or limping.
• Okavango Delta: It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean.
• This delta comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains.
• The delta covers part of Kalahari Desert and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River.
• It is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

About Botswana

• It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Its 70% territory is covered by Kalahari Desert.
• Its landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. 
• The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.
• Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000.
• It is Africa's oldest continuous democracy.