Anthrax kills 30 hippos in Uganda park
June 23 2010 at 04:34PM



Kampala - Anthrax has killed at least 30 hippopotamuses in a popular Ugandan game park that saw a similar outbreak six years ago, officials said on Wednesday.

Tom Okello, conservation area manager at Queen Elizabeth National Park, a much-visited safari destination, said 10 of the hulking semi-aquatic animals were found dead over one half-day period alone.

"This was something that we had seen before, so I knew immediately that we had to get the blood samples tested," he said, recalling a 2004 outbreak that claimed around 300 hippos around a small lake in the park.

"When anthrax is involved, the blood doesn't clot. That is the reason we have to act very fast," he said.

Anthrax emanates from spore-forming bacteria in soil along a lakeshore. It can be contracted by wildlife through open wounds; flesh-eating vultures and big cats in the park can also spread the illness.

Sections of the park frequented by tourists are unaffected, but Okello warned that the threat is not fully contained. "At this time it is just localised, but you never how these things can spread," he said. - Sapa-AFP