Anthrax outbreak claims lives of more than 165 wild animals in Zimbabwe



88 hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and two kudos found dead in Mana Pools national park

Tests confirm hippos were killed by anthrax



More than 165 wild animals including 88 hippopotamuses have died amid an outbreak of anthrax in Zimbabwe.

The hippos were found dead alongside 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and two kudos in the country's northern Mana Pools national park.

Zimbabwean Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo told the state-owned Herald newspaper that tests had proved the hippos were killed by anthrax.

Infectious: More than 165 wild animals including 88 hippopotamuses have died amid an outbreak of anthrax in Zimbabwe

She added that the cause of death for the other animals had not yet been confirmed but said early signs suggested they had also fallen victim to the infectious disease.

Ms Washaya-Moyo said she feared the outbreak could spread to other wildlife in the protected reserve, which lies around the lower Zambezi River.

She said: 'Our office has confirmed the anthrax outbreak following the death of the animals in Mana Pools.

'The Authority engaged the vet offices who later collected samples from hippos for lab testing.

' The lab test confirmed that 88 hippopotamus died of anthrax.'

Officials are today conducting further tests on the affected animals, which are all believed to have died in the last few weeks.

Government veterinary officer Chris Foggin said a team of specialists had visited the area and were burning the carcasses of the dead animals in an attempt to prevent the infection from spreading.

He told the Herald: 'A number of animals have died, but we have visited the area and we sealed it off and we are burning the carcasses to prevent any further spread, an action well considered now that the lab reports confirmed anthrax as the culprit.'

Mana Pools is one of Zimbabwe's most famous national parks.

The World Heritage site is a wetlands conservation area formed around four natural lake pools along the Zambezi.

'We have visited the area and sealed it off and are burning the carcasses to prevent any further spread'

Government veterinary officer Chris Foggin

It is home to the country's largest concentration of hippos as well as other wildlife including lions, buffalo and leopards.

Visitors to the area can stay in unfenced luxury accommodation or campsites, allowing them the opportunity to spot game from close up.

Anthrax is a highly infectious disease that affects mainly hoofed animals and cattle.

It is picked up by mammals which come into contact with bacteria formed into spores, which sometimes lay dormant for decades before becoming active.

Although the disease is not generally passed directly from one animal to another, a creature can pick up the spores if it comes into contact with the corpse of another which has been killed by the infection.

The condition's highly infectious state has resulted in anthrax being used as a biological weapon against humans, who are also vulnerable to illness or death if infected.

The crisis in Zimbabwe is the second reported anthrax outbreak among African game animals in recent years.

In July 2010, the government of Uganda confirmed 82 hippos were among at least 90 animals which had been killed by the disease.