Namibia: Rabies Hits Flagship Game Species


New Era (Windhoek)
May 16, 2006

Chrispin Inambao
Windhoek


Namibia's flagship trophy game species, the kudu, is under threat from rabies that have already devastated record numbers of the antelope and sources in the industry have voiced concern that the outbreak could impact negatively on the hunting season that is due.

Two veterinarians Dr Otto Zapke and Dr Beate Voights confirmed the outbreak, with Dr Zapke saying probably "thousands" of kudu died in the Omaruru area where recently no cases of the contagious disease have been brought to his attention.

Dr Zapke said the Okahandja and Windhoek areas are showing more prevalence of rabies, while Dr Voights said there is a tendency among farmers not to report cases of the deadly viral disease that can affect all warm-blooded animals and has various known strains.

With over 5 000 trophy hunters, the hunting industry directly generates N$100 million for the country each year and N$200 million is generated indirectly as secondary revenue.

Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) affiliated sources revealed the contagion was initially detected at a farm in the Wilhelmstal area before it spread north via farms at Omaruru, Otjiwarongo and then it spread eastwards and scattered southwards.

"It is a flagship species. People come to Namibia because of kudus," said one source.

Cases of the communicable disease have been reported at Omitara, from where it spread towards Botswana. Some farms around Windhoek have also reported cases of strange behaviour in this antelope, such as frothing at the mouth and not being afraid of people.

There was one strange case in which this beast had to be shot inside a house and one farmer who requested anonymity cited several cases of rabid kudu. Though the meat from the affected animals can be consumed provided the necessary precautions are taken, one of the beasts shot near Windhoek was destroyed because of the severity of the infection.

One 12 000-hectare farm suffered game losses of 400 beasts over the past two years of the present outbreak, and other farmers are said to have incurred huge losses of the antelope that is preferred by high-spending trophy hunters who like its majestic, spiral horns.

Sources are saying the present outbreak whose magnitude compares to the contagion that affected the game industry over a seven-year wave in Namibia lasting from 1975 to 1982, is being caused by kudu populations that have increased over the past several years.

There is under-reportage of the outbreak because some farmers are afraid of the negative effects that bad publicity could generate in light of the closeness of the hunting season.

New Era was told kudus that have weakened immunity to rabies when compared to dogs and other animals get infected by eating affected vegetation, while the virus could also get into their bodies through lesions in their mouths caused by shrubs and thorns.

If the virus infects kudu with an incubation period varying from 21 to 365 days it tends to hang its head lower but the most important clinical characteristic of the preliminary phase is behavioural change during which the animal appears tame, salivates excessively, loses appetite, and urinates frequently. After this phase sick animals may either become aggressive or show signs of paralysis.

Kudu occurs throughout Namibia except in the Namib Desert.

When contacted, NAPHA's CEO Joern Wiedow referred all inquiries to Ben Beytell, the Director of Parks and Wildlife Management who was out of town and unavailable.

But Maria Kapere, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism who yesterday consulted the Division of Scientific Services after New Era made inquiries on the matter responded: "Nobody in my ministry knows about this."

I hunted on a farm near Okahandja from May 1st thru the 10th.
I was asked by my PH to put down a young Eland bull that was obviously sick. It made no attempt to evade our vehicle and we were able to approach within 12 yards on foot in open terrain. It appeared quite unsteady on its feet and was unable to run.
I dispatched it with a single shot to the neck at the base of the skull. A rather sad incident.
It showed no signs of aggression or frothing at the mouth. Some in the party suggested it may have been snakebit.
Perhaps it was in the early stages of a rabies infection?

---Icer

I have not hunted kudu in Namibia for many years now. When I last did, in 1978 in the Khomas Hochland west of Windhoek, the area was also affected by a rabies outbreak amongst kudu. I was then told by the landowner, and some other farmers in the area, that the spread of the disease in the kudu population is largely through sexual contact. According to these farmers at some stage in the disease cows come in a pseudo-estrus and so attract bulls, who then gets infected. I'm NOT stating this as a fact, but as a story told by farmers many years ago.

Does anyone know the facts about this?

BTW, I would decline an offer of shooting an obviously sick animal in these areas. I would most certainly not touch one with a skinning knife, nor will I allow any of my skinners to do so. A small slip of the knife can cause a cut, which can very easily become a route for infection. Rabies is 100.00% fatal! You get it, you die! Period! [And death by rabies is a horribly painful affair!] No exceptions or chance of recovery whatsoever! Don't risk any contact with the blood or saliva of obviously sick animals. The good news is that to the best of my knowledge no visiting trophy hunter to Namibia had get been infected with [and hence subsequently died from] rabies.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Actually, it's almost 100% fatal. There have been 1 or 2 cases of rabies survival in previously vaccinated persons and recently, for the first time in history, the survival of a girl in the U.S.A. who had not previously been vaccinated.

The infection is spread by saliva. The best means of prevention is prompt administration of vaccine but thorough wound cleansing with soap and water is also very important. In fact, if a vaccine isn't available (say you are bitten in a remote area) thorough wound cleansing alone will prevent the disease in a significant number of bite victims.

In 2003 a friend was archery hunting in NE Namibia in late May. Early one afternoon a kudu bull came to water, took a few drinks and laid down. He died within an hour. The PH suspected rabies andd we never heard more about it. The animals condition was way off. They choked a cable around his rear feet and drug him off. No contact to the skin said my friend who is a doc.

When I hunted there a couple of years ago, one farm had a lot of dead kudu on it, they said from rabies. This was near Okahandja, I hunted another one east of Windhoek, no problem there. The PH wasn't concerned about it, said his place had been somewhat overpopulated with kudu for some years. He said the rabies was odd as only the kudu among the antelope saliva then. He thought he had lost 600 on his farm alone at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Icer:
I hunted on a farm near Okahandja from May 1st thru the 10th.
I was asked by my PH to put down a young Eland bull that was obviously sick. It made no attempt to evade our vehicle and we were able to approach within 12 yards on foot in open terrain. It appeared quite unsteady on its feet and was unable to run.
I dispatched it with a single shot to the neck at the base of the skull. A rather sad incident.
It showed no signs of aggression or frothing at the mouth. Some in the party suggested it may have been snakebit.
Perhaps it was in the early stages of a rabies infection?

---Icer

Icer
Did you get charged a fee to put down the Eland?
I remember reading few other cases where the PH ask the hunter to kill sick game, just wondering why they don't do it their self.

Here is some good information on Kudu rabies.


http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1382222

RayRay---
I was definitely not charged any fee to put down this Eland. Both the PH and I agreed that something was quite wrong with the animal and that it would be the right thing to do in this situation.
This was a visiting PH who was hired because of the size of our party and did not regularly hunt this farm. We took digitial photos of how close we came to this Eland to show the manager of the farm. The manager had no problem with our actions and was thankful that we took care of things.
I had hunted with this PH for the previous 2 days, with great success, and I suspect he knew I could handle a brain stem/neck shot on a motionless Eland at 15 to 20 yards.
At no time did we come into direct contact with this animal nor was it ever considered for butchering. Sadly we left it in the field.
It is something I do not wish to do again.

---Icer

When I hunted with Otjandaue Safaris in 2004, I learned upon arrival that the majority of the Kudu had been wiped out by rabies. Odd that the booking agnet (doesn't post here) didn't mention it.

Icer,

Welcome to the Board. Nice to see another hunter who likes Namibia aboard. You did the right thing.
Regards, Tim

Tim---
Thanks for the welcome........I've been lurking here since 2003 when I was preparing for my first safari........finally decided to throw in my 2 cents.

---Icer

Icer
Hope you don't think I was implying any wrong doing on your part, just that it's odd to me that PH's ask the visiting hunters to shoot these sick animals. Could be that I'm the one that's odd though!

Are you still in touch with the manager you could ask if there was an outbreak of Rabies after you left.

So what should one do with this information if you're planning a 2007 trip to north central Namibia with the most sought after species being kudu?

I'm considering Zim also for my hunt but keep coming back to Namibia because of the lower daily rates. But if it's going to be a struggle to find keeper kudu then that's a big strike against Namibia.

Is it as serious as it sounds?

Wyattd
Don't get overly concerned, The sky isn't falling. Rabies is been around since the beginning of time, And will all ways be a factor in the wild parts of africa.. Before booking a hunt I would talk to hunters who have hunted in the last 6 months, Ask them if they saw or heard of rabies in the area.
Good luck

I'm potentially headed for Otjandaue Hunting Farm in mid July 2007.

Would really like to hear of any updates as to Kudu die off in this area.....before I complete my booking. Kudu is #1 on my list of animals, I hope that there is still a plethora of mature bulls around!

I'll be hunting in May near Otjewarongo. Hope there are plenty of healthy bulls.

I was in the north of Namibia in August, near Grootfontein and there was no problem at that time.Kudu were abundant and quite healthy.

My understanding of Rabies in Kudu and Namibia is that its normal, the following is part of a email I was sent when I brought the issue up with my PH whom Im huting with in July I think some of you will know him or have at least heard of him through this forum.

"As far as Rabies is concerned that is pretty normal for Namibia. We do have Rabies all over the country. Some times more up in the North and than in the South and so on. It comes and goes in waves. We have had Rabies in our area about 1 1/2 years ago but now it’s more up to the North. A couple of weeks ago we found one bull and I was quite sure he had Rabies. So it’s coming and going. Overall it’s depending on overpopulation and we still have far too many Kudus all over Namibia. If you shoot a Kudu you will never know if he got Rabies or not. Incubation time is up to 2 years but if Rabies breaks actually out, the animals dies within 24 hours. Immediately after the animal has died the Rabies virus is dead too. So you can certainly use the cape / horns. You are right, you can even eat the meat from an animal what died on Rabies given the virus dies so fast but I prefer not to but I’m sure that I have eaten meat from animals with Rabies many time not knowing it. At least Rita keeps telling me that I some times behave strange and that I must have Rabies.
Best Regards Dirk"

Personally that closed the issue for me and I hope its done the same for some you too.

Runas

RUNAS

My family and I will be spending 14 days hunting with Dirk from June 23-July 8. I don't think the rabies will be a problem. In fact, I think the Kudu hunting should be better this year due to the enormous amount of rain they got last year, preventing any of the REALLY big Kudu bulls from being shot. That means that if this year has normal rainfall, there should be an abundance of much larger bulls (or at least that is my theory ).