By: OrePulse

Residents living near Borena National Park in Ethiopia's Oromia region have reported a wave of wildlife deaths that they blame on chemicals discharged by informal gold-mining operations into nearby water sources and soil. The deaths have affected birds, bees and other wildlife in the Arsite area of Abunu Kebele, within Gomole Woreda, close to the park's boundary.

Among the species most at risk is the Stresemann's bushcrow, a crow found only in Ethiopia and classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The bird's range is closely tied to the Borena landscape, overlapping with areas where informal miners have been operating.

Boru Jaldesa, a resident, said the substances used to extract gold had entered nearby water supplies and were harming a range of species, pointing in particular to the toll on birds and bees.

The contamination has also stirred fears about risks to people and livestock. A resident of the nearby town of Yabelo warned that domestic animals or people could suffer the same fate as the dying birds if they accidentally ingested the tainted water or chemicals.

Authorities have moved to curb the activity. Authorities detained three people after a joint operation involving park officials, Ethiopia's Climate Change Authority, the Borena Zone's Water, Energy and Minerals Department, and the local Gomole Woreda administration.

Niguse Wata, head of the national park, said limited understanding of the risks among local pastoralist communities, rather than organized criminal activity, was largely to blame for the unauthorized digging, suggesting enforcement alone may not resolve the problem without wider public education.

The episode adds to a string of disputes over mining's environmental and social toll in Oromia. This region has also seen friction around the Tulu Kapi and Lega Dembi gold projects in recent years. Those cases, like the situation near Borena, have centered on tension between mineral extraction and the protection of sensitive ecosystems and communities in one of Ethiopia's more mining-active regions.

No formally licensed company has been linked to the activity near Borena. Authorities have described the mining as informal and manually conducted rather than industrial in scale, though officials have not said whether they plan further arrests or a broader crackdown.