Virunga's 2026 Hippo Count Exceeds 2,700 After Anthrax Outbreak

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, a bacterial disease that killed a large share of the park's hippos. The park's own account puts the number of hippos lost at 65. Virunga is in the Democratic Republic of Congo.