Foot-and-mouth threatens South Africa wildlife
Copyright 2000, Reuters
November 14, 2000
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 14 (Reuters) - South Africa's vital wildlife tourism could be threatened by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease affecting livestock, a conservation official said on Tuesday.
``We have major concerns about the possibility of this disease infecting wildlife in the province,'' Derek Potter, head of conservation west, covering western KwaZulu-Natal province, told Reuters in an interview.
More than a million domesticated animals will be vaccinated in the province after an intensive culling programme failed to stem a two-month outbreak among cloven-hoofed livestock.
If the outbreak spreads to wildlife, officials said it would have devastating consequences for KwaZulu-Natal's multi-million dollar tourism, hunting and game ranching industries.
``We are paying particular attention to prevent it from entering our buffalo reserves and populations,'' Potter said.
Buffalo can become maintenance carriers or hosts -- which means the disease may not infect them, but will never leave them. As a result, an infected herd must be culled.
``We are working together with the department of animal health to set up an early warning surveillance system in and around our wildlife reserves so we can act quickly if we detect any sign of the disease,'' Potter said.
The disease is suspected to have been brought into the country from kitchen refuse thrown off a ship docked at the port city of Durban.
Several countries have imposed bans or temporary suspensions on South African meat imports.
Concerns about the outbreak prompted Spanish authorities last month to prevent a shipment of giraffe and rhino from South Africa from entering Spain.
The 22 giraffes and three rhinos spent 40 days at sea circumnavigating the continent, arriving back in South Africa on Monday.
Only cloven-hoofed animals can be affected by the highly contagious viral infection.
Among African wildlife, giraffe, warthog and all species of antelope are cloven-hoofed and therefore at risk.
``An impala antelope is an indicator species...it will show the clinical signs more readily than any other animal,'' Potter said.
Elephant, rhinoceros and hippopotamus would not be affected, nor carnivores such as lion or leopard.