The Resurgence of Screwworm in Texas: A Growing Concern for Ranchers and Wildlife
The New World screwworm has reemerged in Texas, posing a significant threat to the state’s cattle industry and wildlife. The cooperation of ranchers is crucial in combating this pest, yet there is skepticism towards government measures.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The New World screwworm is spreading, with at least 19 confirmed cases in Texas, jeopardizing the cattle industry in the nation’s leading beef-producing region. According to Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies, the screwworm also endangers wildlife such as deer.
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DAVID MARTIN DAVIES, BYLINE: Each Friday, cattle are herded into the Beeville, Texas, livestock auction ring. Amid the auctioneer’s fast-paced chant, a USDA poster on a nearby bulletin board warns ranchers about screwworm. The maggots consume the living flesh of livestock and other animals. Though eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s and confined to South America, it has now returned.
DONALD HUSER: It’s here. I mean, you’re just going to have to deal with it.
DAVIES: Donald Huser, who runs Coastal Bend Feed in Beeville, 100 miles southeast of San Antonio, believes the USDA should have been more prepared. He recalls the screwworm’s reappearance south of the border two years ago.
HUSER: They watched it, you know, progress through Mexico. And, you know, they could’ve got with Big Pharma or whatever and started mass-producing, like, Dectomax and had a bunch prepared for us.
DAVIES: Dectomax, a parasiticide for treating parasites like screwworm, is in short supply since the pest’s reappearance in the U.S. Huser doubts ranchers would report screwworm cases due to concerns over potential quarantines.
HUSER: What are they going to do? Are they going to come in and they’re going to quarantine your herd? How long are they going to quarantine it for?
DAVIES: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller shares these concerns.
SID MILLER: I had ranchers tell me so – I’m not reporting it. I don’t want to be locked down. I’m just going to treat it and shut up.
DAVIES: The USDA has since clarified that confirmed cases won’t lead to ranch lockdowns, encouraging more self-reporting by ranchers. They are also releasing sterile screwworm flies to curb its spread. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins acknowledges a shortage in these flies but notes a new facility in South Texas aims to produce hundreds of millions more.
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BROOKE ROLLINS: Our goal is to have enough sterile flies deployed and out into Texas and wherever else this happens to be before the next summer season pops up.
DAVIES: However, Huser remains skeptical about solely relying on livestock inspections to halt screwworm.
HUSER: Yes, you can check all of your cattle and everything else, but you’re not going to catch all your deers. Those are going to be our hosts in this fight.
DAVIES: Texas is home to a massive wild deer population—over 5 million, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Before screwworm eradication, deer numbers were much lower due to the pest, which killed 80% of fawns.
GAYLON WILMETH-BURLESON: Unfortunately, with wildlife, there is no proven treatment.
DAVIES: Dr. Gaylon Wilmeth-Burleson, a veterinarian in South Texas, explains the past impact of screwworm on deer populations.
WILMETH-BURLESON: My dad can tell me stories about when he was a kid we didn’t have a lot of deer down here because of screwworm infestations.
DAVIES: Should screwworm decimate Texas deer, it would severely affect the South Texas economy, which is renowned globally for its white-tailed bucks. Hunting is a multimillion-dollar industry in Texas. While the state urges hunters to check deer for screwworm, deer season doesn’t start until November, allowing further spread in the meantime. For NPR News, I’m David Martin Davies in South Texas.
(SOUNDBITE OF FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB SONG, “GAT DAMN (INSTRUMENTAL)”)
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
