Two wild kudu in South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park have tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease, the first confirmed wildlife cases at one of the country's busiest parks. South African National Parks announced the result on Oct. 12, according to the government's SAnews agency, after a second round of testing on animals that had shown lameness.

The finding lands in the middle of a large livestock vaccination push. An Eastern Cape agriculture veterinarian told the Daily Dispatch that 418,176 farm animals had been vaccinated in the Sarah Baartman and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities around the park.

The concern now is whether the virus could take hold in wild antelope that cross farm fences — creating a reservoir that keeps reinfecting cattle. For farmers in the region, that would mean longer movement restrictions, repeated vaccination costs and a slower path back to export markets.

Inside the Addo Detections

SANParks veterinarian Dave Zimmerman told the Daily Dispatch that the two animals, a bull and a cow, were sampled on Sept. 1 after showing signs of lameness. A warthog sampled the same day tested negative. Earlier samples from lame kudu had come back negative, which is why the park ran a second round of diagnostics.

SANParks said no other wildlife species in the park are showing signs consistent with the disease, and no wildlife deaths from it have been confirmed. The source of infection is still unknown. Veterinary officials are investigating where the virus came from, which way transmission ran and whether the cases link to other outbreaks in the province, TimesLIVE reported.

The park remains open to visitors. No cloven-hoofed animals may move into or out of Addo without veterinary authorization after a risk assessment, vehicles are disinfected before leaving game-viewing areas and livestock movement on public roads through the park is restricted. SANParks emphasized that "There is no human health risk associated with FMD."

Kudu are a particular worry — as Zimmerman noted, they can leap over standard game fences. Foot-and-mouth cases were reported on farms near Addo in July, and the provincial outbreak dates to December 2025.

The Numbers Behind the Vaccination Drive

Vaccination is the backbone of the response. "Vaccination against FMD remains the main control measure in the spread of the disease," Lungile Jali, a veterinarian with the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, told the Daily Dispatch. Officials have built vaccination corridors around game reserves and extended coverage to Kouga and the Makhanda area.

The 418,176 figure comes from a single official statement to one newspaper and covers only the two municipalities near Addo, not the whole province or country. No public dashboard currently confirms it.

At the national level, Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp said in September that government and industry had imported more than 23 million vaccine doses, and that all commercial dairy cows, more than 1.38 million animals, had received a first dose, according to BusinessTech. More than 1,000 farmers had registered to vaccinate their own cattle after a court order and settlement opened private vaccination. Aucamp argued that "Government must not become a bottleneck in animal healthcare."

The Eastern Cape government set aside 55 million rand in emergency funding in February and planned vaccination around disease-free buffalo herds in provincial reserves. African buffalo are the natural carriers of the SAT virus strains common in southern Africa, which is why outbreaks near wildlife areas draw close attention. Officials have not reported which strain was found in the Addo kudu.

Ranchers, Game Farmers and Export Markets

The heaviest burden falls on cattle, dairy and small-stock farmers in the Sarah Baartman district, whose animals face movement controls, and on game farmers who sell live antelope. James Miller, who chairs the Red Meat Producers Organisation in the Eastern Cape, told the Daily Dispatch his members have long feared the disease becoming endemic in wild game.

The outbreak has already cost South Africa export access, with China among the markets that restricted South African meat this year. A lasting wildlife reservoir would make it harder for the country to regain disease-free status for zones that once exported freely.

Pressure is also building over stray livestock near the park. Provincial legislator Heinrich Muller has written to Eastern Cape agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe urging stronger controls, while the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency did not respond to the Daily Dispatch's questions. Farmers are watching for the classic signs of the disease, including lameness, drooling and blisters on the mouth and feet, and reporting suspected cases to state veterinarians.

What remains unconfirmed is significant. Officials do not know how the kudu were infected, whether other antelope carry the virus without symptoms, or whether the Addo cases are linked to nearby farm outbreaks. Further testing and surveillance will decide whether movement controls expand.

A Close Watch From U.S. Livestock Officials

The United States has been free of foot-and-mouth disease since 1929, and the disease poses no threat to human health or food safety, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA has stockpiled vaccine through a national bank created under the 2018 Farm Bill, because a U.S. outbreak could halt meat exports and force mass livestock movement bans.

Travelers returning from South Africa who visited farms or game reserves should declare those visits to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on arrival and clean footwear and clothing before going near U.S. livestock, since the virus can travel on soil and fabric.

The bottom line: two kudu at Addo confirm foot-and-mouth disease has reached wild antelope in the Eastern Cape, even as more than 418,000 nearby farm animals have been vaccinated. The park remains open, and the key unknown is whether the virus will persist in wildlife.

What Readers Want to Know

What was found at Addo Elephant National Park? Two kudu, a bull and a cow, tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease after showing lameness. SANParks announced the result on Oct. 12.

Is Addo still open to tourists? Yes. Tourism continues, with vehicle disinfection and controls on moving cloven-hoofed animals in or out of the park.

Can people catch foot-and-mouth disease? No. SANParks and USDA both say the disease poses no human health risk.

How many animals have been vaccinated? An Eastern Cape official reported 418,176 farm animals vaccinated in the Sarah Baartman and Nelson Mandela Bay areas.

Why are wild kudu a concern? Kudu can jump game fences, so infected animals could carry the virus between farms and create a lasting wildlife reservoir.

Could this affect the United States? The U.S. has been FMD-free since 1929. Travelers who visited farms or reserves abroad should declare it on return and avoid livestock afterward.