Cattle on a sixth Alberta farm have died from anthrax bringing the number of cattle dead from the disease to 28 and possibly 29, said government officials.
Two cattle were confirmed Aug. 27 to have died from anthrax on a Caroline-area farm. A third animal probably died of the same disease, but the body was too decayed when it was found to take a positive sample, said Larry Turner, acting program officer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
“We were not surprised,” said Turner of the latest anthrax deaths in cattle.
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“We hoped not to see any more cases, but the conditions have not changed so it doesn’t surprise us.”
All the cattle deaths have been in a 16 kilometre line running southeast of Caroline. All the animals were on peat moss type soil and the grass had been grazed close to the ground.
“Conditions are receptive to the spore being exposed and the animal ingesting it,” said Turner. The cattle on this farm were not vaccinated.
Since the outbreak occurred, 10,000 to 15,000 cattle have been vaccinated, but it’s a “drop in the bucket” compared to the number of cattle in the area, Turner said.
