After both China and Mongolia reported cases of the bubonic plague last week linked to people eating marmot meat, Russia’s Altai region is heightening measures to stop people from hunting and eating marmots.
The plague germ, Yersinia pestis, can be found in rodents and their fleas. Eating raw marmot meat is therefore discouraged.
As recently as Sunday, the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning after a hospital reported a suspected case of the disease. Nearby in the Khovd province, two cases were reported linked to people eating marmot meat. Now, to prevent any cases in Russia, authorities have been patrolling the area to enforce the hunting ban, and warn people about the dangers of eating marmot meat, Reuters reported.
