Anthrax has killed 28 hippos in the Semuliki River in eastern DR Congo's Virunga National Park, Al Jazeera reported on Monday. Park officials said laboratory tests confirmed that the bacterium Bacillus anthracis caused the deaths. The animals died over roughly one month.
Residents first noticed the deaths in mid-September. "We have started to fear this situation, which is unfolding whilst we are in the midst of the Ebola outbreak," Michael Kambale told Al Jazeera. He lives in the Vitshumbi enclave, about 100 kilometres north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. DR Congo is facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak in its history. Al Jazeera says it has killed more than 5,300 people.
The park warned that people can catch anthrax by touching a dead or sick animal or by eating its meat. Teams are monitoring the area, recording new deaths and disposing of carcasses safely. Residents are advised not to touch, skin or eat animals found dead. They should report any carcasses to the authorities.
Joel Mbusa Mapoli, an expert in ecology and veterinary medicine, called the deaths a significant loss and urged quick action. He said hippos shape their habitats by moving nutrients between land and water. He called for a One Health approach, which links human, animal and environmental health. He also wants stronger disease surveillance and better protection for local communities.
Park officials said anthrax outbreaks have hit hippos before during droughts. Anthrax spores can survive in soil for decades. When grass is scarce, animals graze closer to the ground and crowd around water points, the park said. This raises their exposure to contaminated soil. An outbreak in 2025 killed 65 hippos. A February 2026 census put the park's hippo population at more than 2,700, in 171 groups.
Conflict makes the work harder. The park says fighting between the Congolese army and M23 fighters has cost it control of a significant part of its territory over the past four years. M23 says it is protecting the area from poachers. Activist Olivier Ndoole Bahemuke said nearly three decades of armed conflict have fuelled poaching and deforestation. Founded in 1925, Virunga is Africa's oldest national park.