Congo-Kinshasa: Anthrax Outbreak Kills Hippos in DR Congo's Virunga National Park

What the report says

An anthrax outbreak has killed hippopotamuses in Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a report published by Ghanaian Times and distributed by AllAfrica. The article says carcasses have been found in the Semuliki River over the past four weeks, prompting concern among people living along the river near Africa’s oldest national park.

Virunga National Park said laboratory testing confirmed anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, as the cause of the deaths. The report places the wildlife losses near Vitshumbi, about 100 kilometres north of Goma in North Kivu province. Local resident Michael Kambale told Al Jazeera that people in the area began noticing the mass deaths in mid-September and are worried because the situation is unfolding while the country is also dealing with a major Ebola outbreak.

The report highlights the strain on health and conservation authorities in eastern Congo, where disease outbreaks can affect both people and wildlife. While the article does not give a total number of hippos lost, it suggests the die-off is significant enough to raise alarms in nearby communities and park officials. More broadly, anthrax is a known wildlife disease that can spread through contaminated environments and is of concern in areas where animals and people share water sources.