WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Okay. I don't have a list of feelings for you 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:06.299 to choose from today. I guess my categories are 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:09.519 all feeling based. I chose one, and this is not 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:11.859 gonna be happy feelings. I guess I was feeling 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:15.240 like Taylor, and I chose this. April 8, 2025. 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:18.440 CBS News. Is that a good or a bad one, Taylor? 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:21.059 It's reasonable. You keep track. Okay, thank 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:24.079 you. Fine by me. No author. Dozens of hippos 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:27.879 die in anthrax poisoning in Virunga National 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:30.829 Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oh 00:00:30.829 --> 00:00:34.030 no! Those aren't the hippos who need dying! I 00:00:34.030 --> 00:00:36.329 know, they're the opposite of the hippos that 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:39.090 need dying. And we don't need anything in favour 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:42.950 of the hippos that need dying. So, Goma, Democratic 00:00:42.950 --> 00:00:46.140 Republic of Congo. Anthrax poisoning has killed 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:50.159 about 50 hippos in Virunga, Africa's oldest national 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.960 park, which is located in the Democratic Republic 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.460 of Congo's Troubled East, the head of the park 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.619 told AFP on Tuesday. The toxin is caused by a 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:02.759 spore -forming bacterium, Alocas anthracis, which 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:05.659 survives for decades in soil where animals that 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:08.040 died of anthrax or where carriers were buried. 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:10.620 It is transmissible to humans and potentially 00:01:10.620 --> 00:01:13.700 fatal in its inhaled form. Hippopotamuses were 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:16.030 found floating in a river south of Lake Edward, 00:01:16.069 --> 00:01:19.629 oh my god, which separates the DRC from Uganda. 00:01:19.829 --> 00:01:22.969 Park director Emmanuel Demirode said, the local 00:01:22.969 --> 00:01:25.170 office of the Congolese Institute. It's gotta 00:01:25.170 --> 00:01:27.569 take some time for you to approach a floating 00:01:27.569 --> 00:01:31.010 hippo and being like, is that a dead hippo? Well, 00:01:31.010 --> 00:01:33.310 I'm definitely looking at a photo and it definitely 00:01:33.310 --> 00:01:36.590 looks like a dead hippo. It's a very sad photo. 00:01:36.909 --> 00:01:39.730 The local office of the Congolese Institute for 00:01:39.730 --> 00:01:43.090 Nature Conservation in the North Kivu province. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.500 where the dead hippos were found recommended 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:48.260 precautionary measures including avoiding eating 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.920 bushmeat quote although this disease mainly affects 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:54.040 wildlife it poses a potential risk of transmission 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:56.900 to humans as well as domestic animals end quote 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.599 said the body which manages national parks in 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:02.620 the drc did you just say the body said that like 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:05.879 the hippo body said the body local office of 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:08.219 the congolese i think that's what they're referring 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:10.020 to by the body right you don't think it's the 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:12.759 hippo bodies okay no probably not gases releasing 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.560 from their body. They bogus us to do all sorts 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.120 of things. Oh, I make lights because we have 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:22.060 to. Varuga National Park was established in 1925 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:24.460 and is renowned for its wildlife, particularly 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:27.060 mountain gorillas and magnificent landscapes. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.780 It is located at the heart of conflicts that 00:02:29.780 --> 00:02:32.159 have been tearing the Eastern DRC apart for the 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:34.939 past 30 years. Just last week, Congolese President 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:38.520 Felix Tshishkedi commuted the death sentences 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:41.379 of three Americans who had been convicted on 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.539 charges of participating in a botched 2024 coup 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:46.979 attempt. Pardon came as Congolese authorities 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:49.979 hoped to strike a minerals deal with the US in 00:02:49.979 --> 00:02:52.219 exchange for security support that could help 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:55.719 the DRC fight Rwandan -backed M23 rebels in the 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:12.009 conflict hit east of the country. several times 00:03:12.009 --> 00:03:14.729 in Varunga and other nature reserves in Africa. 00:03:14.909 --> 00:03:17.090 Is that not weird? I'm hoping that they give 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:19.409 us more information on this because I'm pretty 00:03:19.409 --> 00:03:21.930 confused myself right now. I'm wondering why. 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:25.030 I always thought of like a forced poisoning when 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:27.169 it was Anthrax, but it's sounding like it's really 00:03:27.169 --> 00:03:29.069 not. It sounds like it's naturally occurring, 00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:31.569 but it's not really giving any more details, 00:03:31.789 --> 00:03:34.030 right? Am I right? No, it sounds very natural. 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:37.210 According to the Varunga website, the park was 00:03:37.210 --> 00:03:40.050 home to the largest hippo population in the world. 00:03:39.949 --> 00:03:44.569 in the 1970s. About 29 ,000 animals, but since 00:03:44.569 --> 00:03:47.389 then instability in the region has led to increased 00:03:47.389 --> 00:03:51.710 poaching and a 95 % decline in the size of the 00:03:51.710 --> 00:03:55.169 population. Jesus Christ. The World Wildlife 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:57.889 Fund lists hippos as a vulnerable species with 00:03:57.889 --> 00:04:02.110 an estimated 115 ,000 to 130 ,000 believed to 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:04.949 live in the wild globally. That's like all of 00:04:04.949 --> 00:04:07.370 the ones in South America. Oh yeah, we might 00:04:07.370 --> 00:04:10.300 have to root for those hippos. I hope those weren't 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.159 the only five that were in Africa. That was the 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.060 end of the article. Wow. That took a sad article 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.879 and just left me sad and confused and torn. Yeah, 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:22.139 it brings a new light to the South American hippos 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:25.639 and how important they are to the species. And 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:28.480 the important conservation work of drug dealers 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:32.000 in that region. Yeah, I guess we gotta change 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.439 our colours on that and root for them now. How 00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:37.120 did they get anthrax? I don't know enough about 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.199 anthrax. Outside of those scares in like 2001, 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:43.819 I know nothing about it. That's what I envisioned 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:46.220 too, so I was hoping for more information in 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:50.540 that article, but it was pretty limited, unfortunately. 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:53.540 I'm sorry about this Wednesday to you. That's 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:55.560 okay, we're giving people 48 hours to have some 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:57.220 perspective and then come back here for some 00:04:57.220 --> 00:05:00.720 fun, because we very rarely make you guys sad 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:04.180 upset in the Friday episode. I hope so. That's 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:05.459 what we do. That's true, that's true. I thought 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:07.019 you meant Wednesdays and I was like, I don't 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:12.139 know. It's generally sad. Anyhow, bye. Bye.