BERLIN (AP) — A state surrounding Berlin banned animal transport on Saturday and closed two of the capital’s zoos as a precaution after foot-and-mouth disease was discovered in a buffalo herd outside the city, marking the first time in more than 35 years that Germany has First outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Authorities in the state of Brandenburg surrounding Berlin said on Friday that a farmer had found three of 14 buffalo dead in Honno, outside the capital city. Germany’s National Institute for Animal Health confirmed that foot disease was detected in a sample from one animal and that the remaining animals were slaughtered. It’s unclear how the animals became infected.
Brandenburg’s 72-hour ban on the transport of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other animals such as camels and llamas came into effect on Saturday. Berlin’s two zoos will be closed starting Saturday as a precautionary measure. Their management noted in a statement that while the virus is not dangerous to humans, it can stick to their clothing and spread.
News you can trust and daily fun, right in your inbox
See it for yourself — The Yodel is your go-to source for daily news, entertainment and light-hearted stories.
Authorities said about 200 pigs at a farm in Allensfield, near the outbreak, will be slaughtered as a precautionary measure.
Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a virus that infects cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other artiodactyls. While mortality is usually low, the disease causes animals to develop fever, decreased appetite, excessive drooling, blistering and other symptoms.
The virus spreads easily through contact and the air and can quickly infect an entire herd. People can spread the disease through contact with items such as farm equipment, shoes, clothing and car tires that have been exposed to the virus.
The last outbreak in Germany was in 1988 and in Europe in 2011, according to the German Institute of Animal Health.
