Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust together with the Department of Vetrerinary Services, Wildlife Unit, began a project in July and August of 2011 to evaluate weather bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is present in the Victoria Falls Region of Zimbabwe. Until recently Zimbabwe has been free of bTB which has just been found to be present in the very southern boundary of the country. The Victoria Falls Region is of great importance for this study as it is to be a major destination in the KAZA (Kavango Zambezi) transboundary national park that is in its infancy stages and will encompass four neighboring countries. At the present time, the neighboring countries of Zambia and Botswana are bTB and FMD positive. There are no fences separating movement of wildlife in this area and back and forth between Zimbabwe and the other countries. Hence, the need to determine of if the Victoria Falls region is now also bTB and FMD positive.

The implications of bTB and FMD being transmitted in Zimbabwe are large. bTB will affect the wild buffalo population, which if they are near livestock as is the case in the Victoria Falls area, then cattle can be infected, and ultimately humans if they consume the milk, uncooked meat or offal from those livestock. Furthermore, with the lion population just starting to recover in the area, bTB could be a major factor in the mortality of the species, as has been recently noted in Gonarezhou National Park. In total bTB and FMD not only have broader health implications, but also will affect the recovering economy of Zimbabwe and the commercial sale of beef as a commodity.

Therefore, WHWT working together with the Department of Veterinary Services, Wildlife Unit and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as well as local communities, have completed Phase 1 of this project in which we darted and tested 100 buffalo in the area and 200 cattle for bTB and FMD. In 2012 WHWT aims to immobilize and test another 100 buffalo and 300 cattle in the area to extend the study. WHWT kindly thanks its grantors for providing the funding needed to undertake this project and hopes we can make a difference in conserving wildlife for future generations and helping local communities receive greater beneft from their livestock. If you are a student in a veterinary graduate program and would like to assist in participating in this survey, please contact us as there are six spaces available for interns on this project, Please contact our General Manager Jessica Dawson for additional information.