EASTERN CAPE. — Foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in kudu at Addo Elephant National Park after follow-up tests on samples from affected animals tested positive. SANParks confirmed on Tuesday that initial tests were negative, but further investigations confirmed the presence of the virus.
The park remains open to tourists and the disease poses no risk to human health according to SANParks. JP Louw, SANParks spokesperson, says the agriculture department was notified after the park's wildlife health monitoring showed an increase in lameness among kudu.
No other wildlife species in the park currently show clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease. The positive result confirms the virus in the tested kudu, but does not determine where the infection originated, how it spread or whether it is linked to other outbreaks in the Eastern Cape. These aspects are being investigated by veterinary authorities.
Biosecurity measures have been strengthened, including the disinfection of vehicles before they leave designated game-viewing areas. Animals with cloven hooves may not enter or leave the park without permission from the relevant veterinary authority and the required risk assessment.
Visitors must comply with all access, movement and biosecurity instructions.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
