Saskatchewan has temporarily opened its borders to elk imports from states and provinces that have the disease p. tenuis.
Provincial officials feel the rigorous tests the animals must undergo before entering will minimize the chance of importing the parasitic disease. Elk producers have generally supported the move.
“This was absolutely essential if we are to maintain our markets in those jurisdictions,” said former Saskatchewan Elk Breeders Association president Lloyd Spencer at the association’s recent annual convention.
“I believe Alberta and Manitoba’s industry people are working hard lobbying their government to develop an import protocol that would be acceptable to us and I see a strong commitment from our government to meet our needs.”
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But the province’s biggest hunters’ organization is condemning the move. It says the door will be open to a horrifying disease that could ravage wild populations of elk, deer and moose.
“To me, this is scary,” said Joyce Lorenz, president of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
“If we don’t have proper tests done now and we start … importing animals, the disease risk is going to be really high.”
Louise Greenberg, the director of the provincial government body that regulates the game farm industry, said elk can only be brought in from a few areas, and only after tests that should catch any diseased animals.
“For me this is a stringent protocol,” said Greenberg.
Protocols are the rules and regulations that govern import and export animals.
This particular protocol is only valid until April 30.
Only provinces and states that have “a cold winter climate” can export to Saskatchewan.
Animals must be certified as being born and raised on a game farm. The farmer must declare that his herd is free of p. tenuis. A licensed veterinarian must declare that the exporting herd has been free of all signs of the disease in the year before the proposed export.
Before the animals leave their own farm, fecal samples must be taken for testing.
The results must be provided to the government as part of the import application.
Once animals are inside Saskatchewan, they must be held in quarantine for 160 days, during which three more fecal samples are taken.
Lorenz said regardless of these measures, she feels the province shouldn’t rush into approving animal imports because two teams of scientists are developing blood tests that should provide definitive proof of whether an animal is infected.
But Greenberg said the tests may not be ready for years.
