Anthrax kills dozens of hippopotams in Virunga National Park

At least 50 hippopotams and other large animals were killed by the poisoning of anthrax in the oldest national park in Africa, said its director.

The photos shared by Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo show immobile animals floating along the Ishasha river. Park officials say they started to appear last week.

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

The director of the park, Emmanuel de Merode, said that work was underway to recover the animals and bury them to avoid spreading more, but it was difficult because there were no excavators.

“It is difficult due to the lack of access and logistics,” he told the news agency in Reuters.

“We have the means to limit propagation by burying them with caustic soda.”

The river goes north to Lake Edward, one of the great lakes in Africa, where more dead animals have been reported locally.

The anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis and can be fatal, but generally it does not propagate easily.

It survives largely as spores that hide in the ground for years before entering an animal by inhalation or cut or injury.

The Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature warned residents to avoid fauna and boil the water with local sources before drinking.

Extending 7,800 km2 (3,000 square miles), Virunga is one of the most diverse national parks, but also the most dangerous on the continent.

The park is a popular tourism destination but has also been affected by the conflict between rebel groups and the Congolese army in recent years.

Thousands of armed soldiers belonging to different rebel groups roam Virunga and its surrounding areas, fighting for the control of the rich resources of the region.

Many Rangers died protect the fauna.

In recent decades, there have been efforts to increase the number of hippopotams in the park after the population has gone from more than 20,000 to a few hundred following poaching and war.