Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 February 2025
135. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department or the National Parks and Wildlife Service was informed of the deaths from bubonic plague (also known as the Black Death) of monkeys at Dublin Zoo in 2024; the steps that were taken to prevent and track any contagion to wild animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3697/25]
View answerThere has been no outbreak of Bubonic Plague at Dublin Zoo in 2024, nor in any other Irish zoo.
Bubonic plague is caused by a bacterium named ‘Yersinia pestis’. There is, in contrast, a common bacteria of world wide distribution that can infect and, on occasion, kill a range of animal species called Yersinia enterocolitica (previously known as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis).
It is the latter infection that has occurred at Dublin Zoo. This infection is a common occurrence in a range of animal species and it does not cause Bubonic Plague.
