Dozens of hippos in Virunga National Park—Africa’s oldest and among its most biodiverse—have died in a matter of days. Their enormous bodies were found floating in the Ishasha River and along its banks, lifeless and bloated, a haunting scene that triggered immediate alarm across conservation and scientific communities.

The cause was confirmed swiftly: anthrax. Not the weaponized variety of global headlines, but the kind that lurks in the earth itself, waiting. Spores of *Bacillus anthracis*, the bacterium behind the disease, can survive for decades in soil. When disturbed, often by rainfall or excavation, they reawaken and become a lethal hazard to grazing or wallowing animals like hippos and buffalo, both of which have now died in Virunga’s latest outbreak, CNN reports.

At least 50 hippos died suddenly in Virunga National Park.

A Recurring Killer

This isn’t the first time anthrax has wreaked havoc on African wildlife. Past outbreaks in Uganda and Namibia have wiped out hippo populations in similar fashion. But this latest wave has cut particularly deep. Park officials say at least 50 hippos have perished so far, with numbers possibly rising as more carcasses surface in rivers flowing toward Lake Edward, according to CBS News.

The deaths represent a staggering blow to a population already struggling. As USA TODAY reports, Virunga once held the world’s largest concentration of hippos—around 29,000 in the 1970s—but decades of poaching and armed conflict have reduced that number by 95%, with current estimates at just 1,200.

Anthrax spores in the soil are the confirmed cause of death.

Logistical Nightmare

Managing the fallout has proved nearly impossible. Burying infected carcasses quickly is critical to halting the spread, but Virunga’s staff, already operating under immense pressure, lacks basic equipment like excavators.

“It’s difficult due to lack of access and logistics,” park director Emmanuel de Merode told BBC News, explaining that they’ve had to rely on manual labor and caustic soda to try and neutralize contaminated remains.

Without prompt containment, anthrax spores can wash downstream, potentially infecting additional wildlife and threatening local communities. Park teams, in coordination with Congolese and Ugandan authorities, are working to recover the bodies, using protective gear and adhering to strict protocols, USA TODAY reports.

Carcasses were discovered floating in the Ishasha River.

Human and Ecological Risks

The risk to humans is real. While anthrax transmission is rare, it can occur through contact with infected animals or by consuming tainted water or bushmeat. The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) has warned residents to avoid wildlife, refrain from drinking untreated river water, and stop eating bushmeat—practices that may be common in rural areas of the park’s North Kivu province, according to the New York Post.

Virunga’s challenges extend far beyond pathogens. The park lies in a conflict zone where militia groups control large swaths of land. This instability hampers conservation efforts, disrupts eco-tourism, and often puts rangers’ lives at risk. Over the past two decades, dozens of rangers have been killed protecting wildlife in the region, ScienceAlert reports.

Hippos inhaled or ingested the spores while wallowing.

A Tipping Point for Hippos

The timing of the outbreak may be no coincidence. Rainy seasons often bring anthrax spores closer to the surface, where grazing and wallowing animals come into contact with them. These deaths are not isolated incidents—they reflect a deeper vulnerability in ecosystems already under siege from human activity, climate shifts, and disease.

Virunga’s hippos—once a symbol of abundance—now represent a species pushed to the brink. Their decline is a stark reminder of how quickly decades of conservation work can be undone by a single microbial bloom, hidden in the mud of a riverbank.