At least 50 hippos and other large animals were killed by anthrax poisoning in Africa’s oldest national parks, its directors said.
Photos shared by Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo show animals floating along the Ishasha River. Park officials said they started showing up for the first time last week.
The exact cause of the poisoning is not known, but the test confirmed the presence of anthrax.
Park Director Emmanuel de Merode said work is underway to restore animals and bury them to prevent further spread, but this is difficult because there are no excavators.
“It’s difficult due to lack of access and logistics,” he told Reuters news agency.
“We have the ability to limit transmission by burying them with caustic soda.”
The river extends northward to Lake Edward, one of the Great Lakes in Africa, where more dead animals are reported locally.
Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthrax and can be fatal but is usually not easily spread.
It can survive to a large extent, as the spores hide in the soil for many years and then enter the animal by inhalation or cutting or wounds.
The Congo Nature Conservation Institute has warned residents to avoid wildlife and boil water from local sources before drinking.
Extending 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles), Viunga is one of the most biologically diverse and dangerous national parks on the continent.
The park is a popular tourist destination, but has also been affected in recent years by conflicts between rebel groups and the Congolese army.
Thousands of armed soldiers belonging to different rebel groups roamed Virunga and its surrounding areas, fighting to control the rich resources of the region.
Many rangers died, where wildlife were protected.
In recent decades, the population has dropped from more than 20,000 to just a few hundred due to poaching and war, and efforts have been made to increase the number of hippos in the park.
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