Pestilence and Disease

Off all the diseases in the world only two have been eradicated through human effort, smallpox and rinderpest (cattle-plague).

Rinderpest is an infectious viral disease of cattle and some other species of even-toed ungulates, including buffaloes and large antelopes.

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Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) at rest, Addo Elephant Park, South Africa.

 

In the 1890s a rinderpest epidemic swept through Africa and destroyed large portions of the wild life and domestic cattle. In South Africa alone 2,500,000 head of cattle was lost due to this disease.

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Partial Kudu skull, Addo Elephant Park, South Africa.

Photos taken in the Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

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