GILBERT PLAINS, Man. – Few stones are being left unturned in the bid to learn what risk bovine tuberculosis poses to domestic livestock near Riding Mountain National Park.
An infected elk was found at the park last fall by hikers. That discovery has cattle producers nervous about the potential risk to their herds.
At a meeting here Feb. 3, government officials tried to allay those concerns by talking with producers.
“It’s quite obvious we’re doing a lot of testing for what appears to be a very small problem,” said George Luterbach of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “If the disease is out there, we want to snuff it out before it can spread in Canadian livestock.”
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Several cattle herds around the park are being tested, but there are no plans to quarantine domestic livestock. Luterbach expects testing to be done by spring.
Deer, elk and moose killed during the hunting season are also being tested for evidence of the disease. It will be months before the final results of that testing become available. But so far, the infected elk found last fall appears to be an isolated case.
Cattle producers have at least two good reasons to be nervous about bovine tuberculosis. If an infected animal is found in a cattle herd, the entire herd will be slaughtered.
There are also implications for trade with the United States. A group of American cattle producers is already trying to thwart the import of Canadian cattle with allegations of dumping and unfair subsidies.
“We don’t need to add more fuel to the fire,” said Wanda McFadyen, executive director of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association. “We have enough on our plate already.”
The United States Department of Agriculture has voiced support for the measures being taken, Luterbach said.
Several cattle herds in the Rossburn area were slaughtered in 1991 after a rare outbreak there. Another outbreak in 1997 saw about 85 cattle killed near Rossburn and another 450 slaughtered at Virden, Man.
Some cattle producers suspect the source is wild elk, but there’s been no link to support those suspicions.
Parks Canada and the provincial department of natural resources are trying to gauge the threat of tuberculosis around Riding Mountain. Marvin Miller, chief warden for the park, said an aerial survey was to take place last week to get a count of elk in the park. He believes the number will be about 3,500 animals.
Information suggests fewer than one percent of elk are infected with TB. Miller wants to see that percentage reduced. Further measures are planned to determine an accurate elk count and to find out how much TB exists in the wild animals.
A steering committee has also been formed to create management strategies to the eliminate bovine tuberculosis in Manitoba, to conduct surveillance of wildlife and livestock for evidence of the disease, to look at research needed to support that effort, to examine the risk of bovine tuberculosis to people, and to keep interested parties up to date.
The appearance of the disease at Riding Mountain has also raised some eyebrows among Manitoba elk growers. Part of the breeding stock for domestic elk herds is captured from the wild through a program overseen by the province.
The wild elk capture program was continued this winter. Captures at Riding Mountain are taking place outside the park, said Allan Preston, a Manitoba provincial veterinarian.
