Anthrax Outbreak Kills 28 Hippos in DR Congo's Virunga National Park

Hippopotamus carcasses have been turning up in the Semuliki River in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past four weeks, and laboratory testing has now confirmed anthrax as the cause, according to Virunga National Park. The outbreak comes as the country confronts the deadliest Ebola epidemic in its history.

The deaths were first noticed in mid-September by communities living along the river, west of Africa's oldest national park. Michael Kambale, a resident of the Vitshumbi enclave roughly 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, said residents began to fear the situation as it unfolded alongside the Ebola outbreak.

Park officials said 28 hippos died over approximately one month. The bacterium responsible, Bacillus anthracis, can spread to people who handle or eat infected animals. "This disease can be transmitted to humans through contact with a dead or sick animal or by consuming its meat," the park said in a press release.

Joel Mbusa Mapoli, an expert in ecology and veterinary medicine, described the deaths as a significant loss for the park and urged urgent containment efforts. He noted that hippos function as ecosystem engineers, shaping nutrient flows and the ecological conditions of the habitats they occupy.

In response, Virunga said it was concentrating on surveillance, the safe handling of carcasses and reducing risks to both wildlife and nearby residents. Teams are recording new mortality cases and coordinating carcass disposal, while local people are being advised not to touch, skin or consume animals found dead and to report any carcasses or suspected cases to authorities.

Founded in 1925, Virunga is renowned for its biodiversity, but conservation there is under severe strain. Olivier Ndoole Bahemuke, a Congolese environmental activist who heads the nonprofit Alerte Congolaise pour l'environnement et les droits de l'homme, said the armed conflict that has persisted for nearly three decades has fuelled poaching and deforestation. The park says it has lost control of a significant part of its territory over the past four years amid fighting between the Congolese army and M23 fighters, while the M23 group claims it is helping protect the area from poachers and other human threats.

Anthrax is a recurring problem in the ecosystem, with past outbreaks observed among hippos and other wild animals during drought periods. Mapoli cited several contributing factors, including the persistence of the bacterium in the environment, worsening ecological and climatic conditions, the concentration of animals around aquatic habitats and difficulties monitoring wildlife health. The park said that when vegetation becomes scarce, herbivores graze closer to the ground and gather around the few remaining water points, increasing their exposure to contaminated soil. Anthrax spores can survive in soil for decades.

A February 2026 census put Virunga's hippo population at more than 2,700 animals across 171 groups. Last year, an anthrax outbreak killed 65 hippos in the park, and staff had to mobilise excavators to pull carcasses from the water.

Mapoli said the response should pair conservation with public health measures under the One Health principle, which recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health. He called for stronger epidemiological surveillance, better protection for local communities and wider collaboration among state and non-state bodies. "The hippopotamus is one of the flagship species of the Virunga ecosystems. Its disappearance could lead to a major disruption of aquatic ecosystems, as these animals play a role in the exchange of matter between terrestrial and aquatic environments," he said.