Anthrax outbreak claims lives of more than 165 wild animals in Zimbabwe
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88 hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and two kudos found dead in Mana
Pools national park
Tests confirm hippos were killed by anthrax

By Stewart Maclean

Last updated at 11:48 AM on 10th January 2012

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.

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.

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.

Officials there said the affected creatures came into contact with anthrax
spores after drinking water from an infected river in the country's Queen
Elizabeth National Park.