Searching for clues inside the claws

Abstract

Research and innovation 25 The exact reason for the alarming crocodile mortalities that occurred in the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) Olifants Gorge and Lower Letaba River in 2008 continues to be evasive. Post-mortem examinations revealed that the deaths were caused by pansteatitis (hardened fat in the tails and abdomen) but, says Danie Pienaar KNP’s Head of Scientific Services Department, even though it is clear that the crocodile deaths were symptomatic of serious environmental problems in the Olifants River system, the exact mechanisms of what took place remain uncertain.

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