Zambia warns against eating dead wildlife as anthrax outbreak spreads

Wildlife deaths trigger a public warning

Zambian authorities have warned communities not to handle, sell or eat animals found dead after an anthrax outbreak killed dozens of wild animals in the northern province of Muchinga. The affected wildlife reportedly includes 46 hippopotamuses, eight elephants, five buffaloes and a crocodile. Twelve people contracted the disease after consuming meat from infected carcasses and were receiving treatment. The cluster is centred on the Munyamadzi Game Management Area and nearby parts of Mpika district.

Officials have deployed a multi-agency team, strengthened patrols and checkpoints around affected areas and considered temporarily restricting hunting. The response aims to prevent carcasses from being butchered or moved before veterinary teams can collect samples and dispose of them safely. Authorities also asked residents to report unexplained animal deaths immediately and avoid contact with blood, tissue or hides from animals that died suddenly.

A recurring One Health danger

Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Spores can persist in soil and infect grazing animals, while people can become ill through direct contact with contaminated animals or by eating infected meat. Wildlife deaths therefore create overlapping conservation, food-safety and public-health risks. The danger is particularly acute where food insecurity encourages people to recover meat from carcasses despite warnings.

FAO’s documented response to Zambia’s 2023 outbreak provides relevant confirmed context. Laboratory testing then linked human skin infections to infected meat, and authorities used vaccination, sanitation of animal burial sites, community education and wildlife monitoring to interrupt transmission. FAO described cooperation among veterinary, health and wildlife agencies as central to the response. That earlier episode does not establish the current toll, but it shows that Zambia has faced the same transmission route and has an existing containment model.

Containment depends on reporting

The next indicators will be laboratory confirmation across the affected districts, whether additional carcasses or human cases are found, and how quickly authorities can secure disposal sites. Investigators will also need to determine the outbreak’s geographic boundaries before lifting any hunting or movement restrictions. The most immediate intervention remains behavioural: preventing people and scavenging animals from opening or consuming carcasses reduces exposure while veterinary teams map the outbreak. Clear reporting by local communities will be essential because every unreported animal death can become another source of infection.