Dozens of hippos die of anthrax poisoning in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo
CBSN
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo — Anthrax poisoning has killed about 50 hippos in Virunga, Africa's oldest national park, which is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled east, the head of the park told AFP on Tuesday. The toxin is caused by a spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, which survives for decades in soil where animals that died of anthrax or were carriers were buried. It is transmissible to humans and potentially fatal in its inhaled form.
The hippopotamuses were found floating in a river south of Lake Edward, which separates the DRC from Uganda, park director Emmanuel de Merode said.
The local office of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) in the North Kivu province, where the dead hippos were found, recommended precautionary measures including avoiding eating bushmeat.
