In brief
Lab tests confirm anthrax as the cause of a recent wave of hippopotamus deaths in the Semuliki River, part of Virunga National Park. 28 carcasses were found in a month, with a second report citing 30 deaths, highlighting the vulnerability of wildlife during drought and conflict. Park officials are now monitoring the area, handling carcasses safely, and warning local communities of potential human exposure.
Lab‑confirmed anthrax has killed a string of hippopotamuses along the Semuliki River, the western arm of Africa’s oldest national park, where 28 carcasses were uncovered over a month’s span as of early November 2026.
Virunga National Park officials confirmed, through microbiological testing, that the bacterium Bacillus anthracis was responsible for the deaths. The same bacterium that has historically caused livestock epidemics in the region was found in tissue samples collected from the deceased hippos.
Bacillus anthracis is a spore‑forming bacterium that can survive in soil for decades. Its spores enter the body through skin abrasions, inhalation, or ingestion, and can lead to severe disease in mammals, including humans.
"This disease can be transmitted to humans through contact with a dead or sick animal or by consuming its meat," stated a Virunga National Park press release sent to Al Jazeera. The organization warned that the outbreak could pose a public health risk if local communities come into contact with carcasses or contaminated water.
Michael Kambale, a resident of the Vitshumbi enclave about 100 kilometres north of Goma, told reporters that the deaths began to surface in mid‑September. "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," he said.
While Al Jazeera reported 28 deaths, a concurrent piece from The Tanzania Times cites 30 hippos recovered by the park’s crews. The difference likely reflects overlapping or updated carcass counts as field teams continue to scour the riverbanks.
A 2025 outbreak in the same park had previously claimed 65 hippos, according to a February 2026 population update issued by Virunga National Park. The earlier episode, which prompted the mobilisation of excavators to clear disturbed ground, underscored the park’s vulnerability to recurrent outbreaks of your class of disease.
Anthropogenic pressures—drought, armed conflict, and encroaching human settlements—have been described by park scientists as compounding factors that increase wildlife susceptibility to disease. Drought, for instance, concentrates animals at dwindling water sources, facilitating contact and transmission. Conflict hampers regular patrols and wildlife monitoring, delaying detection and response.
Hippopotamuses are considered ecosystem engineers; their grazing and mud‑bath activities influence nutrient cycling in riverine systems. The loss of even a few individuals can alter the ecological balance of the Semuliki River’s habitat, potentially affecting downstream plant and fish communities.
Virunga National Park has instituted a multi‑phase response. Park staff are conducting active surveillance along the river, recording new mortality cases and coordinating the safe handling and disposal of carcasses. County officials are advising residents against touching, skinning or consuming dead animals, and urging anyone with suspected cases to inform authorities immediately.
"Teams are monitoring the affected area, recording new cases of mortality and coordinating the safe handling and disposal of carcasses," a park spokesperson said in a statement following the outbreak confirmation.
The park’s communication plan further includes outreach to local communities. Residents are being informed of the risks, and educational materials about symptoms of anthrax in humans have been distributed. Scientists are also modelling the potential spread of spores through river currents, a step that may guide future quarantine zones.
While the focus remains on curbing further mortality among wildlife, the health of nearby human populations is equally at stake. Park officials, backed by the Congolese Ministry of Health, are poised to collaborate with public‑health teams to monitor for possible human cases, given the known zoonotic nature of anthrax.
These events unfold against the backdrop of an unprecedented Ebola crisis gripping eastern DR Congo, adding strain to the already fragile health infrastructure.
As Virunga National Park teams continue to document carcasses and coordinate response efforts, the scientific community is eyeing the outbreak as a case study on how environmental stressors amplify zoonotic disease risk in biodiverse, conflict‑affected regions.
