Outbreak! Deadly parasite kills more than 10,000 Yellowstone river fish

New Delhi: A lengthy 183-mile stretch of the Yellowstone river and hundreds of miles of other waterways are recently closed by Montana wildlife officials to prevent the spread of a deadly parasite believed to have killed tens of thousands of fish.

This drastic move, announced on Friday, barred all fishing, rafting and other activities in the river until further notice. The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency also said that the closure could continue for months if fish keep dying in the river.

This deadly parasite outbreak killed many fish species that are crucial to fishing industry like mountain whitefish, Yellowstone cutthroat trout and some rainbow trout.

According to the Associated Press, no dead fish were found inside Yellowstone National Park, where a celebration of the National Park Service's 100th anniversary is set for next week.

The closure is imposed to control the buildout of a microscopic parasite which is infecting fish in the US river with a fatal kidney disease, a rare but serious condition that was previously found in two isolated spots in Montana over the past 20 years.

Officials confirmed that this disease does not pose any health risk in humans. Drop in water level and higher water temperature are making problem worse by creating a favorable environment for the spread of disease in fish population in the Yellowstone.