Anthrax kills dozens of hippos in Virunga National Park

In Africa’s oldest national park, at least 50 hippos and other large animals died, the director said.

The photographs shared by Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows animals that do not move along the Ishasha River. Park officials said they first appeared last week.

The exact cause of poisoning is unknown, but the test confirmed the presence of anthrax.

Emmanuel de Merode Park Director is working to ask to recover animals and prevent further spread, but it was difficult because there was no excavator.

The agency said, “It is difficult because of the lack of access and logistics.”

“We have a means to restrict spreading by burying them with caustic soda.”

The river is north of Edward, one of Africa’s Great Lake, and more dead animals have been reported locally.

Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis and can be fatal but usually not easily spread.

It survived as spores hidden in the soil for many years before entering the animal through inhalation or wound.

The Congolese Institute for Nature warned the residents to boil water at the local source before they avoided wildlife and drinking.

Virunga, which increases 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles), is one of the most biological but most dangerous national parks on the continent.

The park is a popular tourist destination, but has been influenced by conflict between rebels and Congo troops in recent years.

Thousands of armed soldiers in other rebels are fighting Virunga and its surrounding areas to fight to control the rich resources of the region.

Many Rangers died to protect wild animals.

In recent decades, as a result of poaching and war, the population has decreased from 20,000 to hundreds of people, and has been trying to increase the number of hippopotamus in the park.