The coming of rinderpest, a cattle plague, to Africa in the late 1880s had catastrophic effects. The disease was carried by infected cattle imported from British Asia and it spread like wildfire, killing an estimated 90% of the cattle population in many parts of the continent. This devastation had a severe impact on African livelihoods, as cattle were a primary source of wealth and sustenance. The loss of their livestock destroyed the economic independence of many Africans. This loss of wealth and power made them vulnerable to European colonisers, who found it easier to conquer the continent and force the now-dispossessed Africans to work in mines and on plantations for a wage, thus securing the labour they needed to exploit Africa's resources.