At least 50 hippos and several buffalo are dead from anthrax poisoning in Congo’s Virunga National Park, with the deadly bacteria spreading through the Ishasha River and threatening both wildlife and nearby residents.
Key Insights
- Virunga National Park officials confirmed anthrax as the cause of death for at least 50 hippos and numerous buffalo along the Ishasha River.
- The park, home to approximately 1,200 hippos, faces significant challenges in removing carcasses due to lack of equipment and access issues.
- Local residents have been warned to avoid the affected areas and boil water to prevent disease spread as anthrax spores can remain dormant in soil for decades.
- Similar outbreaks have occurred in other African nations, with a 2004 Uganda incident killing 200 hippos and at least 10 people.
- The bacteria typically emerges during dry seasons when receding water levels expose dormant anthrax spores in soil.
Deadly Outbreak Confirmed by Park Officials
Park director Emmanuel De Merode confirmed the devastating outbreak this week, noting that tests have verified anthrax poisoning as the culprit behind the mass casualties. The deadly bacteria has already claimed at least 50 hippos and several buffalo in Virunga, one of Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse protected areas. Anthrax, caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, can remain dormant in soil for decades before environmental conditions trigger an outbreak.
Park guards first discovered the problem when dead animals began appearing along the Ishasha River, which forms part of the border between Congo and Uganda. The remote location of the deaths presents significant logistical challenges for containment efforts. “It’s difficult due to lack of access and logistics,” De Merode said in a statement addressing the park’s inability to quickly remove and safely dispose of the infected carcasses.
Understanding How Anthrax Outbreaks Occur
Anthrax outbreaks in wildlife populations follow predictable patterns, typically emerging during dry seasons when water levels recede. As hippos and other grazing animals search for food in previously submerged areas, they can disturb and ingest soil containing dormant anthrax spores. Once activated, the disease spreads rapidly through animal populations, particularly in enclosed water systems where dead animals contaminate the water source.
“Anthrax infection in wildlife is actually fairly common,” said Melissa Marx, lead author of a study examining similar outbreaks in Zambia. “The thing about anthrax outbreaks is that the animal outbreaks are predictable — and in Zambia they’re seasonal. They happen in the dry season.”
While natural causes are the likely trigger for this outbreak, officials have not completely ruled out other possibilities. The situation is complicated by the fact that parts of the river where the carcasses were found are controlled by rebel fighters, making comprehensive investigations challenging. The bacteria can spread through direct contact with infected animals, consumption of contaminated meat, or even breathing in airborne spores.
Threat to Human Communities
The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation has issued urgent warnings to residents living near Virunga National Park, advising them to avoid wildlife in the area and to boil all water before consumption. The river flows into Lake Edward, where more hippo corpses have already been spotted, raising concerns about contamination spreading to wider areas used by local communities for fishing and water collection.
“Tests confirmed anthrax poisoning,” said Virunga Park director Emmanuel De Merode, adding that buffalo have been killed too.
The situation in Virunga echoes past outbreaks in other African nations. In 2004, an anthrax outbreak in Uganda killed 200 hippos and at least 10 people who had contact with infected animals. More recently, a 2011 outbreak along Zambia’s South Luangwa River killed 85 hippos and led to over 500 human anthrax cases with at least five fatalities, primarily among people who consumed meat from infected animals due to food insecurity.
Conservation Challenges
The current outbreak presents yet another challenge for Virunga National Park, which has worked diligently to protect and increase its hippo population after years of decline due to poaching and regional conflicts. Thomas Kambale, a civil society leader in Nyakakoma, reported that “more than 25 hippopotamus bodies” are now floating in the waters of Lake Edward, indicating the outbreak may be more widespread than initially documented.
Hippos play a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems as their movement between land and water helps transport nutrients. While the current mortality represents only about 4% of Virunga’s estimated 1,200 hippos, uncontained outbreaks can quickly devastate populations. Conservation efforts are further complicated by ongoing militia activity in the region, which has plagued the park since the early 2000s, limiting access for rangers and researchers working to protect the park’s biodiversity.
