Chronic Problems on Elk Ranches
Wild Idaho News (Posted by newwest.net)
07 Feb 2007
Nathaniel Hoffman
Idaho hunters who like their elk wild have wrangled with elk farmers and their allies in agriculture for more than 15 years. While elk breeders here have largely kept their animals free of disease up to now, sportsmen and those charged with protecting wild herds fear that a disease outbreak among domesticated elk is inevitable and could debilitate the state’s wildlife populations. The stalemate came to a head this fall when up to 160 elk escaped from a large game farm north of Driggs. Now the Legislature is poised to hear a slew of bills, ranging from an outright ban on fenced elk hunts to a licensure system for game farms developed by a game farm industry group.
Extensive records obtained by the Wild Idaho News show that on five East Idaho ranches where customers are invited to shoot domesticated bulls for large fees, ranch managers have chronic problems containing their animals and keeping wild elk outside their fences. Since it opened in the fall of 2003, the Pine Mountain Hunting Ranch, east of Idaho Falls has regularly had wild deer, elk and moose inside its fence line, according to Idaho Department of Fish and Game records. At least three domestic bull elk escaped during the winter of 2003, likely mingling with wild game for months, records show. IDFG records show that four other game farms in East Idaho have had wild ungulates inside the fences within the last year.
Disease Killing Off Doves, Pigeons
Montereyherald.com
08 Feb 2007
Kevin Howe
A familiar parasitic disease is decimating the Central Coast's dove and band-tailed pigeon populations. The birds are succumbing to trichomoniasis, or canker, said Terry Palmisano, senior wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game. The disease primarily affects doves and pigeons, she said, but can be passed on to hawks, kites and other raptors that hunt pigeons. "We're getting good numbers of birds," Palmisano said. "We've not got a handle on how many."
She said Hastings Reserve and areas in upper Carmel Valley are reporting birds in the tens and dozens, found dead or dying on the ground. Band-tailed pigeons nest in oak woodlands at higher elevations, so quite a few that succumb are never found and their carcasses are eaten by other wildlife, including wild pigs. Trichomoniasis is caused by a virulent strain of the single-celled protozoan parasite, Trichomonas gallinae, that gets into the lining of the birds' mouths, Palmisano said. It is then passed from bird to bird by "billing" during courtship, by shared contaminated food or water, and other close contact.
Elk with Tapeworm Disease Reignites Debate over Wolves
The Associated Press (Posted by rockymountainnews.com)
08 Feb 2007
Matthew Brown
An elk shot by a hunter outside Yellowstone National Park last fall carried a potentially debilitating tapeworm disease that can be transmitted by wolves, a state wildlife official said Wednesday. State officials are investigating whether the elk contracted the disease from a wolf, or if it came from a coyote or dog, which also carry the tapeworm, said Mel Frost, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The tapeworm, echinococcus granulosus, causes large, debilitating cysts to grow on the internal organs of elk, cattle and other hoofed animals. Granulosus can be dangerous to humans, with symptoms ranging from coughing to brain impairment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But Frost said her agency is not concerned about transmission to the public because the disease is difficult to contract and does not spread between humans. Regarding wildlife and livestock, she said there was no concern of a widespread outbreak. Granulosus is found throughout the world, according to the CDC. It has been several years since Montana's last documented case, involving a moose in the northwestern part of the state, Frost said.
Rabid Raccoon is Killed in Pownal
Benningtonbanner.com
08 Feb 2007
Mark E. Rondeau
A raccoon found acting strangely on a local farm has tested positive for rabies. State Game Warden Travis Buttle said that a farmer on Poor Man's Road shot the raccoon on Jan. 29 and then called him to investigate. The raccoon had been trying to get into a horse pen. Buttle submitted the carcass to the Vermont Department of Health, and it tested positive on Feb. 1. According to the Department of Health, this was the ninth confirmed case of rabies in the state in 2007 and the first in Bennington County. Officials have confirmed three of the cases were rabid raccoons.
Dr. Robert Johnson, veterinarian with the VDH, said that rabies is "spreading here and there," with several cases in the Lake Champlain and Montpelier area. Health officials in Massachusetts have told him of a number of cases of rabid skunks and raccoons in northwestern Massachusetts. Johnson said it has been some time since an animal from southern Bennington County had tested positive for rabies. According to state records, in 2006 no animal from southern Bennington County tested positive. Four raccoons from towns in the northern part of the county did test positive last year.
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