Close monitoring continues after anthrax outbreak
Zolani Kraai | Tuesday October 17, 2017 12:54
Botswana wildlife officials raised the alarm recently after spotting dead hippos floating down the Okavango River from Namibia. Authorities in that country confirmed that the deadly disease had caused more than 100 deaths. In an interview at Mohembo ferry post, Blackbeard said on the Botswana side, officials have been collecting dead hippos and destroying them.
Officials have also sternly warned members of the public not to even touch the carcasses as they could contract the fatal disease. “So far we have recovered three carcasses along the river from Namibia while the water and crocodiles have destroyed others. At least nine hippos floated down this way. We are destroying the carcasses and burying them,” he said. Asked what could have caused the outbreak of anthrax in the region, Blackbeard said the occurrence was probably part of the normal natural cycle of diseases that break out when large animals migrate.
“With any congregation of large animals in a small confinement, there is a high possibility of disease spreading fast. This is the same when you have a large number of people together,” he said. Blackbeard said Botswana and Namibia wildlife officials were working together to contain small areas in the flood plain where most of the hippos died.
“We conduct patrols with the Botswana Defence Force stretching over eight to 10 kilometres and we have noticed that all our hippos are healthy meaning they have not been affected. “In Namibia, there are 300 hippos in a confined specific area, which points to danger and probable outbreaks.
“In Botswana, we noticed between six to nine hippos on average with individual territorial space of up to 600 metres between them. That is a healthy environment for our animals,” he said. Blackbeard recalled that in 2014, Botswana lost many elephants to disease outbreak caused by tight confinement of large numbers.
A press release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness on Thursday confirmed that anthrax had caused the hippo deaths and warned that any contact with the carcasses carried the risk of infection.