Montana cattlemen have a choice to make - to pursue a split-state status in the case of another brucellosis outbreak around the Yellow-stone National Park - or not.
“The governor is leaving it up to the cattle industry,” said Jan French, Board of Livestock member from Hobson, Mont., during a recent meeting discussing split-state status in Lewistown, Mont. “I'm pretty sure we will lose our brucellosis class-free status at one time or another, but this is an option.”
To start with, I am not so sure the Governor is giving us an option. The majority of the members of the Board of Livestock are beholden to the Governor for there position and the Montana Cattleman's Association (MCA), which is in lock step with the Democratic Party, has also come on board favoring the Governors split state idea. This is an interim step until the membership can vote on the idea but the leaders of the MCA are really pushing it. It will be interesting to see what the members of MCA think of the split state idea if they are allowed to vote on it. That's neither here nor their though.
Back to the split state idea though. Anybody that reads here knows I am not in favor of this split state idea. It is going to cost the state and cattle producers a lot of money for not much good. There is no proof that other states will respect the split state status, North Dakota says they won't, so all the money and work on it might not be for any good at all.
I would like to point something out about the split state status. If we were to have a buffer zone around Yellowstone National Park right now, it would be a Brucellosis free zone and the rest of Montana would be suspect since the Morgan's place, which recently had a Brucellosis problem is not within the buffer zone. It would fall in the state of Montana so actually one more Brucellosis case would screw Montana where it would take two in the buffer zone. Kind of backwards isn't it?
I want to point out one thing. All of this split state status is because of the recent Brucellosis outbreak at the Morgan's place in Bridger. Some of the cows on the place were traced back to Emigrant which is very close to Yellowstone National Park. So the assumption is that the Brucellosis that was found in the Morgan's herd was from wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. This has never been proven. As far as I am aware they have never been able to pinpoint where the Brucellosis came from that affected the Morgan's herd. My sources indicate that some of the Corriente cattle in the Morgan's herd, which they bought, were not vaccinated for Brucellosis and the herd they came from was not vaccinated. Again the same thing here, there is no proof one way or the other that these cattle are how the Brucellosis got into the herd but it is an interesting bit of information.
So why are we having this split state discussion when we have absolutely no concept how the Morgan's herd was infected? Since there is no proof, lots of speculation but no proof, it came from Yellowstone National Park, why are we having this argument? If we knew for sure it came out of Yellowstone national Park, it would be one thing but we don't. I know, we are doing it just in case. But if there is a second case we are screwed anyway. I don't feel the split state status is the answer. Putting our time and effort into leaning up the Brucellosis reservoir in the wildlife is a better idea. Not sacrificing ranchers in the buffer zone for the supposed safety for the rest of us.
Logic is the technique by which we add conviction to truth. Jean de la Bruyere
As I recall, he said all the testing was "inclusive" but that some expert (whose name escapes me) "thought" it pointed toward elk.
Okey Dokey.
If that were true, shouldn't Bruce Malcolm's herd tested positive?!
Given the circumstances, it seems more likely to me the Corriente connection was to blame.
I know! Let's eradicate rodeo!!
Well, team roping anyway. That'll fix it.
Like I said, it has not been proven to be from a specific source. Too many people speculate and just don't know which only inflames the issue.
If it's a "non-bovine" source, I have another question. Can other animals besides cows, Bison and Elk have this disease and spread it? I'll have to look it up.
Or maybe "inclusive, yet inconclusive".
Or maybe "inclusive, yet inconclusive".
As far as other species; look into feral hogs in Texas & Arkansas. Not to mention Mexico, of course. Other species carry it, scavengers & predators for instance. Obviously they don't pose much risk of transmission to cattle, but they do greatly complicate the eradication mindset.
I'd also like to clarify that I'm in no sense against eradication of disease, if it were do-able in any sort of reasonable fashion.
Unfortunately, unless someone invents an effective wildlife vaccine, not to mention a means of delivery, we're left with capture/test/slaughter.
I am an elk hunter. The idea of capturing even a remotely significant percentage of the wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Area is laughable. Sheer fantasy, and I'm just talking logistically, not to mention the global public outrage it would incur.
I can't speak to this issue, but wanted to say, I really like your insights and openess to examine all sides of issue.
Pat
That was reported in June. We have been assured that the source was NOT a bovine source that infected the index cow - who was a Black Angus, bangs vaccinated cow.
The bought Corriente roping stock weren't vaccinated. All of their offspring were. Those longhorns grazed for years east of here, nowhere near the Park. They weren't the source. But I heard numerous times that they were. People ran with that rumor. Oh, and a Republican conspiracy was another big one in Bridger. Getting back to the six "positives" - it really makes one wonder just how contagious this is
and how far a critter has to have her nose in afterbirth to actually contract it. Three Corrientes not vaccinated. Three Black Angus that were vaccinated. Not real positives, either. The numbers were only considered hinky because they were "exposed". By some stroke of good luck none of the six were mine. How about that? Good luck - they all were
slaughtered & I'm calling it GOOD luck.
Okay, I'm tired of repeating myself:
http://www.karbonkountymoos.com/2007/07/15/tarred-with-the-same-brush/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karbon/sets/72157600266219164/
http://www.karbonkountymoos.com/2007/10/22/talk-talk-talk/
We had a wildlife assoc. board meeting this morning, and I confirmed that I was not mistaken about the response at the Ennis meeting that results were "inconclusive". They most definitely did not say it was from a non-bovine source.
At least OUR message doesn't change with the audience. It doesn't need to.
We have repeated asked Ryan Clark and Lennis Knight with APHIS, and DOL for the testing reports. NADA. At least they haven't said "they're buried in heavy boxes in the basement" like we incredibly enough were once told by an NGO type in regards to another (unrelated) request.
It seems to me this whole brucellosis issue is a house of cards, and if we DEMAND honesty from the involved agencies...
I know, I'm an optimist.