Virunga's Hippo Population Tops 2,700 After 2025 Anthrax Losses

Virunga National Park's 2026 census estimates its hippopotamus population at more than 2,700, according to the park's website. The count follows an anthrax outbreak in 2025 that killed a large share of the park's hippos.

Anthrax is a disease caused by bacteria. In April 2025, Reuters reported that anthrax had killed at least 50 hippos in Virunga National Park in Congo. The park's own account later put the number of hippos lost at 65.

The park lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is the oldest national park in Africa, according to Virunga. It covers 7,769 square kilometres of varied habitats. The park says it is home to three kinds of great apes and to one-third of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and that 808 guardians of biodiversity protect it.