At least 42 hippos have died in south-central Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.

Chief Park Warden, Christopher Timbuka, said preliminary investigations had shown that the hippos were killed by anthrax, an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthraces.

Timbuka said a survey that was carried out between August and early this month showed that deaths had been found in three key areas that were popular for hosting hippos in the sanctuary.

“This is the largest number of hippos to have perished from anthrax in the park,” he said.

He cited the drop in water levels in the Ruaha River as one of the factors that caused the outbreak of anthrax in the sanctuary.

“Hippos in the park are forced to move upstream over long distances as the water levels drop due to drought.” As a result, he said, the hippos congregated in large numbers in the few remaining areas along the river that had suitable water volume and depth.

“An outbreak of the infectious disease poses a challenge to conservation as the hippos are supposed to remain submerged in water during daytime to prevent overheating and severe sunburn.”

He said measures had been put in place to control the spread of the disease in the park.

The Tanzanian government has established a taskforce to find a lasting solution to the ecological challenges facing Ruaha River.