Anthrax outbreak at Mana Pools

Wildlife dieing in Mana Pools

January 2012. 88 hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30 elephants and 2 kudu have been found dead in Mana Pools National Park. Tests confirm that the hippos died of anthrax but the cause of death of the other animals has not yet been confirmed. The carcasses of the dead animals are being burnt to prevent the spread of the disease. 

Anthrax
Anthrax commonly infects wild and domesticated herbivorous mammals that ingest or inhale the spores while grazing. Ingestion is thought to be the most common route by which herbivores contract anthrax. Carnivores living in the same environment may become infected by consuming infected animals. Diseased animals can spread anthrax to humans, either by direct contact (e.g., inoculation of infected blood to broken skin) or by consumption of a diseased animal's flesh. 

Courtesy of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force