Zoos in Berlin have closed, while the neighboring state of Brandenburg banned animal transport on Saturday following the outbreak of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease.
Germany recorded its first case of foot-and-mouth disease in 35 years in a herd of water buffalo in Honow, Brandenburg, just outside the Berlin city limits.
Operators of the Berlin Zoo in the city center and the Tierpark Wildlife Park in the east of the city said they would remain closed for the time being to protect the animals and prevent the spread of the disease.
Animal transport was banned, pigs were killed
In the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds but does not include Berlin, the government has banned animal transport for 72 hours.
The ban applies to cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, camels, alpacas and llamas.
Meanwhile, about 200 pigs from the farm where the outbreak was detected will be culled as a precaution.
Brandenburg’s Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstadt said Friday that three water buffalo in Hono have died due to the disease.
The remaining 11 buffalo in the same herd will also be culled to reduce the risk of further spread and a 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) exclusion zone has been established around the affected farm.
What is foot and mouth disease?
Humans are rarely affected by foot-and-mouth disease, which is sometimes confused with the similarly named hand, foot, and mouth disease that affects children.
Outbreaks in Germany mainly threaten cattle and other hoofed animals.
This disease can make animals sick with fever, loss of appetite, excessive drooling and blisters. In some cases it can be fatal.
The virus spreads easily through contact and airborne transmission, as well as through contaminated agricultural equipment and vehicles.
Berlin zoos also noted that the disease could spread if human clothing comes into contact with the virus.
zc/lo (dpa, AP)
