Scientists at the University of Surrey say they could have uncovered the cause of 35 “mysterious” elephant deaths in Zimbabwe.

They say a bacterium, closely associated with septicaemia, may have been to blame.

The deaths occurred between August and September 2020, and came after the deaths of around 350 others in neighbouring Botswana.

African savanna elephants are an endangered species with only 350,000 remaining in the wild.