A lion sleeps in the Ngorongoro Crater in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, west of Arusha, northern Tanzania, Jan. 19, 2014. Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP

Ten lions have been found dead in a suspected poisoning incident at Tanzania's UNESCO-listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area, according to the authorities.

"The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) regrets to inform the public that ten (10) lions were found dead on September 18, 2026 in the Ndutu area," the wildlife reserve said in a statement.

Authorities said preliminary findings suggest that the lions died after "ingesting poison," adding that an expert investigation was ongoing "to determine the cause of the incident and identify those responsible."

Ngorongoro has been the scene of long-standing tensions between the authorities and the local nomadic community. Clashes have sometimes turned deadly since the government launched an eviction program in 2022.

The Tanzanian government argues that population growth is encroaching on wildlife habitat, with the number of people living in Ngorongoro rising from about 8,000 in 1959 to more than 100,000.

According to UNESCO, Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to a population of about 25,000 large animals, including the densest known population of lions.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies lions as vulnerable and says their numbers are declining. Threats facing the species include habitat loss, declining prey populations and human-wildlife conflict.

Since June, at least 20 elephants have died in Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem, near the Tanzanian border, from suspected pesticide poisoning, although authorities could not establish whether the deaths were accidental or deliberate.

Kenya has previously recorded incidents of elephants being poisoned as a result of poaching and human-wildlife conflict. But officials say it's the first time in decades the region has recorded elephant deaths on this scale, according to CBS News' partner network BBC News.

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