Anthrax outbreak confirmed in Wood Buffalo National Park

A suspected anthrax outbreak at Wood Buffalo National Park has been confirmed.

Samples sent to a lab early last week came back positive on Thursdaysaid Parks Canada in a news release the same day, confirmingthe presence of anthraxin at least one dead bison at the park.

Bison will usually contract the disease from contaminated soil while wallowing in dust baths. Spores develop in hotter temperatures and fluctuating water levels. Cooler temperatures will kill the spores and slow the outbreak.

Although extremely rare, humans can get anthrax from contact with infected bison.

Resource Conservation staff at the park are stillconducting routine surveillance flights to identify new mortalities and monitor the extent of the outbreak, the release says.

So far,the carcasses found have been in remote areas of the park, and Parks Canada doesn't seeany risk to the public.

An Incident Management Team with parks has been sent to help withthe disposal of carcasses at Sweetgrass Station, due to their proximity to facilities there.

More dead bison were spotted in the "Lake One, Trident Creek/Trident Meadows, Peace Point west junction, and Flat grass areas of the park," the news release states.

There's been59 mortalitiesconfirmed and all are suspected to be caused by anthrax.

"Parks Canada is working closely with relevant provincial, territorial and federal organizations, Indigenous governments, local communities, and visitors to ensure the health and safety of the public and park staff are protected," the news release reads.

It says to be safe, area closures are in place for the Sweetgrass, Trident Creek/Meadows, and Peace Point West Junction areas.

Parks Canada asks Fort Smith residents toavoid the Wood Buffalo National Park fire base, which is next to the Fort Smith airport, as Parks Canada's Incident Management Team works to manage the situation.

Incident personnel are currently staging operations out of Moose Island (Carlson's Landing) in Wood Buffalo National Park, with helicoptersactive in both areas. People are also asked toavoid these areas.

Anyone who comes across a dead animal in the park should not touch it, and instead,leave the area immediately and report the location to the Wood Buffalo National Park duty officer at (867) 872-0404.