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One of the most devastating diseases in human history - the Bubonic Plague (also known as Black Death) - has killed a capuchin monkey at the Denver Zoo. The disease is carried by fleas and is highly contagious. Zoo officials believe that the monkey contracted the disease from a nest of wild ground squirrels. To discourage interaction between humans and potentially infected animals the zoo has posted signs asking that people not feed the animals.
The death of a monkey at the Denver Zoo from bubonic plague has prompted officials to change the habitats of some zoo animals and renew efforts to keep visitors from feeding the urban wildlife here.
Bubonic plague, which came to be called the Black Death as it killed millions of people throughout Europe in the 14th century, is carried by fleas that infect rodents. The Black Death, or Black Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. It began in south-western Asia and spread to Europe by the late 1340s. The total number of deaths worldwide from the pandemic is estimated at 75 million people. The Black Death is estimated to have killed between a third and two-thirds of Europe's population.[
(nytimes)
References: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes
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