Game Wardens Investigate Deer Breeding Facility in Jim Wells County, Seize
Animals
Posted: May 06, 2014 10:46 PM
Tuesday, May 6, 2014 11:46 PM EDT
Updated: May 06, 2014 11:15 PM CDT
Wednesday, May 7, 2014 12:15 AM EDT
JIM WELLS COUNTY (Kiii News) - Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens and
wildlife biologists confirmed they are investigating an exotic wildlife ranch
just outside of Sandia in Jim Wells County.
Game wardens say they have been on the property for the last two days
confiscating a significant number of whitetail deer as part of their
investigation.
All of this happening at the Lonesome Bull Ranch on County Road 364 near
Lake Corpus Christi.
According to the ranch's website, the 2600 acre ranch has over 40 different
types of exotic animals and wildlife that are used for hunting purposes.
Investigators say, the ranch also serves as a deer breeding facility, and
as such is subject to Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations.
Investigators say the facility has not met their requirements and for that
reason have decided not to renew their permit, essentially shutting down the
deer breeding portion of the ranch.
Steve Lightfoot, spokesperson for Texas Parks and Wildlife told 3 News by
phone, "we've conducted several inspections and herd investigations into this
facility and many of the requirements that deer breeders are required to have,
including unique markings and identifiers on animals, tracking movement records
have not been met."
Game wardens are also testing the animals for disease as a precaution.
They are collecting samples for testing for Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD,
and TB. Aside from the disease investigation, there is also a criminal
investigation underway into the deer breeding.
We'll continue to keep you posted.
Lonesome Bull Ranch owner arrested, deer euthanized
By Conor Harrison on May 8, 2014 in Texas Hunting
The 2,600-acre ranch, located near Sandia in Jim Wells County, is an exotic
hunting ranch, but also had deer breeding pens where deer were raised.
According to TPWD, the facility had not met permitting requirements to
breed deer.
“We began an investigation before Christmas,” said Capt. Kevin McDonald of
TPWD. “We did an inspection and darted some animals and put them down to be able
to read their unique tattoos and test them for disease. We found lots of
inconsistencies. The facility where the deer were kept belonged to someone else
(Fred Rich) and we had taken his license away from him. He leased the facility
to another person and they inherited all of the problems.
“If you are trying to draw out a worst-case scenario with bookkeeping and
records, this would be it.”
According to sources, Rich, 56, from Portland, had been removed from the
Texas Deer Association several years ago for unethical business practices.
snip...see full story ;
spreading cwd around...tss
Between 1996 and 2002, chronic wasting disease was diagnosed in 39 herds of
farmed elk in Saskatchewan in a single epidemic. All of these herds were
depopulated as part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) disease
eradication program. Animals, primarily over 12 mo of age, were tested for the
presence CWD prions following euthanasia. Twenty-one of the herds were linked
through movements of live animals with latent CWD from a single infected source
herd in Saskatchewan, 17 through movements of animals from 7 of the secondarily
infected herds.
***The source herd is believed to have become infected via importation of
animals from a game farm in South Dakota where CWD was subsequently diagnosed
(7,4). A wide range in herd prevalence of CWD at the time of herd depopulation
of these herds was observed. Within-herd transmission was observed on some
farms, while the disease remained confined to the introduced animals on other
farms.
spreading cwd around...tss
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the
Republic of Korea Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance
program in the Republic of Korea
Hyun-Joo Sohn, Yoon-Hee Lee, Min-jeong Kim, Eun-Im Yun, Hyo-Jin Kim,
Won-Yong Lee, Dong-Seob Tark, In- Soo Cho, Foreign Animal Disease Research
Division, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Republic of Korea
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been recognized as an important prion
disease in native North America deer and Rocky mountain elks. The disease is a
unique member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which
naturally affects only a few species. CWD had been limited to USA and Canada
until 2000.
On 28 December 2000, information from the Canadian government showed that a
total of 95 elk had been exported from farms with CWD to Korea.
These consisted of 23 elk in 1994 originating from the so-called “source
farm” in Canada, and 72 elk in 1997, which had been held in pre export
quarantine at the “source farm”.
Based on export information of CWD suspected elk from Canada to Korea, CWD
surveillance program was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(MAF) in 2001.
All elks imported in 1997 were traced back, however elks imported in 1994
were impossible to identify.
CWD control measures included stamping out of all animals in the affected
farm, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the premises.
In addition, nationwide clinical surveillance of Korean native cervids, and
improved measures to ensure reporting of CWD suspect cases were implemented.
*Total of 9 elks were found to be affected. CWD was designated as a
notifiable disease under the Act for Prevention of Livestock Epidemics in 2002.
*Additional CWD cases - 12 elks and 2 elks - were diagnosed in 2004 and
2005.
*Since February of 2005, when slaughtered elks were found to be positive,
all slaughtered cervid for human consumption at abattoirs were designated as
target of the CWD surveillance program.
Currently, CWD laboratory testing is only conducted by National Reference
Laboratory on CWD, which is the Foreign Animal Disease Division (FADD) of
National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS).
*In July 2010, one out of 3 elks from Farm 1 which were slaughtered for the
human consumption was confirmed as positive.
*Consequently, all cervid – 54 elks, 41 Sika deer and 5 Albino deer – were
culled and one elk was found to be positive.
Epidemiological investigations were conducted by Veterinary Epidemiology
Division (VED) of NVRQS in collaboration with provincial veterinary services.
*Epidemiologically related farms were found as 3 farms and all cervid at
these farms were culled and subjected to CWD diagnosis.
*Three elks and 5 crossbreeds (Red deer and Sika deer) were confirmed as
positive at farm 2.
All cervids at Farm 3 and Farm 4 – 15 elks and 47 elks – were culled and
confirmed as negative.
Further epidemiological investigations showed that these CWD outbreaks were
linked to the importation of elks from Canada in 1994 based on circumstantial
evidences.
*In December 2010, one elk was confirmed as positive at Farm 5.
*Consequently, all cervid – 3 elks, 11 Manchurian Sika deer and 20 Sika
deer – were culled and one Manchurian Sika deer and seven Sika deer were found
to be positive.
This is the first report of CWD in these sub-species of deer.
*Epidemiological investigations found that the owner of the Farm 2 in CWD
outbreaks in July 2010 had co-owned the Farm 5.
*In addition, it was newly revealed that one positive elk was introduced
from Farm 6 of Jinju-si Gyeongsang Namdo.
All cervid – 19 elks, 15 crossbreed (species unknown) and 64 Sika deer – of
Farm 6 were culled, but all confirmed as negative.
: Corresponding author: Dr. Hyun-Joo Sohn (+82-31-467-1867, E-mail:
shonhj@korea.kr) 2011 Pre-congress Workshop: TSEs in animals and their
environment 5
Friday, May 13, 2011
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the
Republic of Korea
Friday, November 22, 2013
Wasting disease is threat to the entire UK deer population CWD TSE PRION
disease in cervids
***SINGELTARY SUBMISSION
The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment
Committee has been looking into deer management, as you can see from the
following press release,
***and your email has been forwarded to the committee for information:
Friday, November 22, 2013
Wasting disease is threat to the entire UK deer population
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Welsh Government and Food Standards Agency Wales Joint Public Consultation
on the Proposed Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (Wales) Regulations
2013
*** Singeltary Submission WG18417
Sunday, June 23, 2013
National Animal Health Laboratory Network Reorganization Concept Paper
(Document ID APHIS-2012-0105-0001)
***Terry S. Singeltary Sr. submission
Singeltary submission ;
Program Standards: Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program and
Interstate Movement of Farmed or Captive Deer, Elk, and Moose
DOCUMENT ID: APHIS-2006-0118-0411
***Singeltary submission
Friday, December 14, 2012
DEFRA U.K. What is the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD being introduced
into Great Britain? A Qualitative Risk Assessment October 2012
snip...
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administration’s BSE Feed Regulation
(21 CFR 589.2000) most material (exceptions include milk, tallow, and gelatin)
from deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. With
regards to feed for non-ruminant animals, under FDA law, CWD positive deer may
not be used for any animal feed or feed ingredients. For elk and deer considered
at high risk for CWD, the FDA recommends that these animals do not enter the
animal feed system. However, this recommendation is guidance and not a
requirement by law.
Animals considered at high risk for CWD include:
1) animals from areas declared to be endemic for CWD and/or to be CWD
eradication zones and
2) deer and elk that at some time during the 60-month period prior to
slaughter were in a captive herd that contained a CWD-positive animal.
Therefore, in the USA, materials from cervids other than CWD positive
animals may be used in animal feed and feed ingredients for non-ruminants.
The amount of animal PAP that is of deer and/or elk origin imported from
the USA to GB can not be determined, however, as it is not specified in TRACES.
It may constitute a small percentage of the 8412 kilos of non-fish origin
processed animal proteins that were imported from US into GB in 2011.
Overall, therefore, it is considered there is a __greater than negligible
risk___ that (nonruminant) animal feed and pet food containing deer and/or elk
protein is imported into GB.
There is uncertainty associated with this estimate given the lack of data
on the amount of deer and/or elk protein possibly being imported in these
products.
snip...
36% in 2007 (Almberg et al., 2011). In such areas, population declines of
deer of up to 30 to 50% have been observed (Almberg et al., 2011). In areas of
Colorado, the prevalence can be as high as 30% (EFSA, 2011).
The clinical signs of CWD in affected adults are weight loss and
behavioural changes that can span weeks or months (Williams, 2005). In addition,
signs might include excessive salivation, behavioural alterations including a
fixed stare and changes in interaction with other animals in the herd, and an
altered stance (Williams, 2005). These signs are indistinguishable from cervids
experimentally infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
Given this, if CWD was to be introduced into countries with BSE such as GB,
for example, infected deer populations would need to be tested to differentiate
if they were infected with CWD or BSE to minimise the risk of BSE entering the
human food-chain via affected venison.
snip...
The rate of transmission of CWD has been reported to be as high as 30% and
can approach 100% among captive animals in endemic areas (Safar et al., 2008).
snip...
In summary, in endemic areas, there is a medium probability that the soil
and surrounding environment is contaminated with CWD prions and in a
bioavailable form. In rural areas where CWD has not been reported and deer are
present, there is a greater than negligible risk the soil is contaminated with
CWD prion.
snip...
In summary, given the volume of tourists, hunters and servicemen moving
between GB and North America, the probability of at least one person travelling
to/from a CWD affected area and, in doing so, contaminating their clothing,
footwear and/or equipment prior to arriving in GB is greater than negligible.
For deer hunters, specifically, the risk is likely to be greater given the
increased contact with deer and their environment. However, there is significant
uncertainty associated with these estimates.
snip...
Therefore, it is considered that farmed and park deer may have a higher
probability of exposure to CWD transferred to the environment than wild deer
given the restricted habitat range and higher frequency of contact with tourists
and returning GB residents.
snip...
TSS
Singeltary submission ;
Program Standards: Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program and
Interstate Movement of Farmed or Captive Deer, Elk, and Moose
*** DOCUMENT ID: APHIS-2006-0118-0411
Thursday, May 01, 2014
Missouri DNR CWD prevention and captive cervid farming Update
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Missouri SB964 Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still
Alive in Senate
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Mineral licks: motivational factors for visitation and accompanying disease
risk at communal use sites of elk and deer
Environmental Geochemistry and Health
Thursday, October 03, 2013
*** TAHC ADOPTS CWD RULE THAT the amendments **REMOVE** the requirement for
a specific fence height for captives
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) ANNOUNCEMENT October 3, 2013
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
*** cwd - cervid captive livestock escapes, loose and on the run in the
wild
*** These results would seem to suggest that CWD does indeed have zoonotic
potential, at least as judged by the compatibility of CWD prions and their human
PrPC target. Furthermore, extrapolation from this simple in vitro assay suggests
that if zoonotic CWD occurred, it would most likely effect those of the PRNP
codon 129-MM genotype and that the PrPres type would be similar to that found in
the most common subtype of sCJD (MM1).
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Exploring the zoonotic potential of animal prion diseases: In vivo and in
vitro approaches
layperson
Terry S. Singeltary Sr., Bacliff, Texas 77518
flounder9@verizon.net
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