| Max Thornsberry |
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a very contagious viral disease of all cloven hoofed animals, as well as the nine-banded armadillo. Swine species are the most susceptible animals, often developing severe lesions and pustules on the lips, tongue, mouth, nostrils, between the toes, and along the coronary bands at the top of the hoofs. Surprisingly, burros, mules, and horses are resistant to FMD infection. Deer, antelope, elk, bison, wild hogs, javalina, big-horned sheep, moose, caribou, mountain goats, musk ox, and peccaries are all susceptible. If it has a cloven hoof, it is susceptible to FMD infection.
The Missouri Department of Conservation tells me that $2.2 billion -- that is billion, with a “B” -- is generated from white-tailed deer hunting for the state of Missouri. Imagine the impact of FMD infection festering and reoccurring in Missouri’s huge white-tailed deer population, and couple that with a festering FMD infection in Missouri’s growing herd of feral hogs. Not only would the state of Missouri lose a tremendous source of direct income, but imagine the economic impact on every sector of hunting: permits, deer tags, lodging, camping, and sporting goods sales would all be negatively impacted. Hunting leases would be worth nothing. Family hunting outings, and our long-standing deer hunting heritage, could be potentially destroyed.
For those who think such a wildlife FMD issue is not really important, note that in Nepal, a recent outbreak of FMD has infected wild deer in that country. A recent outbreak of FMD in Japan has resulted in 120,000 animals being destroyed, including animals in a secure, state-run livestock facility. The same situation exists in South Korea because of a recent introduction of FMD into that country. In Japan, a centuries-old genetic line of heritage cattle have been severely reduced in population by a recent outbreak of FMD, forcing veterinary officials to destroy many of these unique and very valuable cattle.
While FMD does not usually kill its victims, lesions are often so severe that the animal cannot eat or move around to graze for several days or weeks. The virus is especially contagious with animal-to-animal contact, and is spread rapidly by saliva contamination of water and feed sources. The real problem for an FMD-free country is the disease containment procedure implemented by the government when a foci of FMD infection is discovered.
In FMD-free countries, animals infected with, or exposed to, FMD, are destroyed. Wooden fences, barns, and working corrals are burned. Cloven-hoofed livestock are not allowed on that farm for an extended period of time, which could be two to three years in the future. Economic losses from reduced production, reduced milk production, and weight loss can be very significant, yet FMD-infected countries live with FMD by vaccination and quarantine. That is not usually an option in an FMD-free country like the U.S. or Canada. Once the viral infection is established within the cloven-hoof population of animals within a country, FMD is nearly impossible to clean up. An infected cow can appear to be over the disease but continue to periodically shed the live FMD virus from her body for up to two years following the initial infection.
When FMD was last cleared from the continental U.S., the white-tailed deer population had basically been decimated by overhunting and poor wildlife management. Following World War II, conservation commissions successfully relocated white-tailed deer from states with a remaining small population of deer into states with few, if any, white-tailed deer. That process has been a resounding success, with most states now supporting a huge white-tailed deer population.
Most Eastern and Midwestern states have populations of white-tailed deer that would have seemed nearly impossible to accomplish in 1929, when the U.S. had its last small regional outbreak of FMD in California. By the way, that 1929 source of FMD infection was brought into the U.S. on an Argentinean cruise ship. Improperly processed pork meat scraps were offloaded from that ship, and subsequently fed, in uncooked garbage, to hogs in California, and the rest is history. Fortunately, that last outbreak was quickly contained, but not before about 30,000 head of livestock were destroyed by the federal and state governments.
The only option is to keep the FMD virus out of North America. If you value your wildlife income potential and your hunting heritage, contact the USDA and your State Department of Agriculture and tell them “regionalization” of an FMD-infected country, for the purpose of allowing that FMD-infected country to export raw meat produced from cloven-hoofed animals into FMD-free countries, is unacceptable. It is not only unacceptabl, it is insane!
Yes, cloven-hoofed wildlife can become infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus. Once they do, the U.S. will be no different from any other FMD-infected country in the world. It would render the livestock industry in the U.S. equal to that of countries that have not expended the necessary funds or resources to abolish foot-and-mouth disease.
