And now:Sonja Keohane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Please note that in TEN years they have not found an instance of
brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle.
And yet, both Montana and Wyoming claim this fear of economic
terrorism (other state's sanctions) is what drives them to slaughter bison.
Will good science and or logic ever prevail re the bison?
<http://www.billingsgazette.com/wyomingframe.htm>
Heavy brucellosis surveillance will continue for a while, official says
PINEDALE, Wyo. (AP) - Ranchers should expect three to five more years of
heavy testing of cattle for brucellosis, according to the leader of a
federal brucellosis surveillance team.
"We fully intend to maintain surveillance to the point we know we are truly
free of brucellosis in cattle," Dr. Claude Barton of Nashville, Tenn. told
the Pinedale Roundup.
Ranchers have criticized Wyoming's program as cumbersome and unwarranted.
Six counties in Wyoming have been testing cattle for the disease because
some states fear brucellosis could be transmitted by elk and bison.
While brucellosis has not turned up in Wyoming cattle in more than a
decade, other states have threatened sanctions because of concerns that elk
and bison could transmit the disease.
The disease can cause cows to abort their calves and recurring fever in humans.
The state has worked diligently in surveying cattle and keeping them
separated from animals that may have brucellosis, Barton said. His team
plans to submit its report on the state's surveillance program by Jan. 1.
