Anthrax outbreak kills hippos in DR Congo’s Virunga National Park

Vitshumbi, DR Congo – While the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to grapple with the deadliest Ebola outbreak in its history, another disease is taking a heavy toll on wildlife in Virunga National Park in the country’s east.Over the past four weeks, hippopotamus carcasses have been discovered in the Semuliki River, west of Africa’s oldest national park, raising concern among communities living along its banks.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Fears grow in DRC as former President Joseph Kabila joins rebellionlist 2 of 3Hamilton calls for Palestine and DR Congo freedom as Rwanda takes F1 spotlightlist 3 of 3Ebola death toll in DR Congo passes 5,000end of list“It was in mid-September that we began to notice the mass deaths of hippos in the Semuliki River. We have started to fear this situation, which is unfolding whilst we are in the midst of the Ebola outbreak,” Michael Kambale, a resident of the Vitshumbi enclave, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, told Al Jazeera.Following laboratory tests, Virunga National Park confirmed that anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, was responsible for the wil...