South Africa Appoints Wildlife Expert to Strengthen Foot and Mouth Disease Response

The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has appointed Dr Gary Bauer of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA) to the Ministerial Task Team managing the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. Dr Bauer will represent the wildlife sector, providing critical expertise at a time when disease control requires coordination between livestock and wildlife management. African buffaloes, which act as asymptomatic reservoir hosts for all three Southern African Territories (SAT) serotypes of the FMD virus, remain a primary source of infection for livestock. Managing these herds is central to controlling the disease, as once a buffalo herd is infected, the virus cannot be eradicated from that population.

The impact of FMD on South Africa’s wildlife and livestock sectors is significant. The country has more than 3 200 registered disease-free buffalo farms, which support tens of thousands of jobs in rural communities and generate billions of rand annually through hunting, tourism, genetic sales, and related services. Outbreaks in certified disease-free herds require complete culling under current protocols, a measure that is extremely difficult to implement in large reserves with thousands of buffaloes. This highlights the need for an integrated approach that considers the unique challenges of wildlife management in disease control.

Minister Steenhuisen emphasized the central role of buffaloes in the epidemiology of FMD, stating that the wildlife sector must be fully integrated into the national recovery plan. Other wildlife species, including warthogs and kudu, can act as intermediaries, and poor fencing, shared water points, and intensive feeding practices increase transmission risk. The national response therefore relies on targeted cattle vaccination around buffalo zones, strict biosecurity measures, and science-driven movement control to minimize further spread. These strategies aim to restore South Africa’s FMD-free status while protecting both livestock and wildlife populations.

The Ministerial Task Team is part of a broader coordination structure that includes the Department of Agriculture, the Technical and Scientific Task Team, and the FMD Industry Coordination Council. This triangular framework ensures alignment between policy, veterinary science, and operational execution. The task team’s efforts focus on vaccination, regionalisation, traceability, surveillance, and market re-entry readiness. By integrating expertise from the wildlife sector, Dr Bauer strengthens the capacity to implement evidence-based solutions across both wildlife and livestock populations.

Minister Steenhuisen highlighted the high stakes of the current outbreak, noting that mismanagement could have long-lasting consequences for the agricultural and wildlife sectors. He stressed that a disciplined, science-driven, and united approach is essential to protect the entire value chain. The inclusion of wildlife expertise in the recovery plan ensures that South Africa’s response to FMD is comprehensive, addressing both the immediate threat and long-term disease management to safeguard the country’s livestock, wildlife, and rural economies.