By Leah Murray @CHATTV_LMurray - Medicine Hat and The Canadian Press

Concerns raised about bovine TB in elk near Suffield

Nov 3, 2016 | 10:36 AM

MEDICINE HAT –  As of noon on Thursday (Nov 3) Canada’s food safety watchdog confirmed it is starting to destroy a herd of cattle near Medicine Hat, linked to a cow that was detected to have bovine tuberculosis.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says so far only one case of the contagious bacterial disease has been found, but 30 ranches in the area remain under quarantine. The CFIA says that number could change as it brings in more investigators to trace potentially exposed animals in a process that is expected to take months.

Concerns continue after a cow from a ranch near Jenner tested positive for bovine tuberculosis after being sent to the United States.

The ability for a number of farmers to sell their cattle is now up in the air as the farms and ranches remain quarantined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Now there’s news not only entire herds may be slaughtered, but horses and family pets as well.

Cypress county officials are scrambling to get answers for the ranchers as there’s only a small window left to sell the cattle.

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County representatives discussed the issue at their Council meeting Tuesday. They say they haven’t been able to get any answers for the people affected and have agreed to send letters to Ottawa and the Province

Meanwhile, some ranchers are pointing to the booming elk population nearby as the source of the current lone case bovine TB. But, according to information from the Ministry of Environment and Parks, the elk brought to the base in the 90’s were all tested for the disease and came back clean. They say there’s currently no evidence to suggest the elk are the origin, and that will likely be part of the CFIA investigation.

However County Reeve Darcy Geigle said he understands why some think the elk are the problem. Though the original 200 were tested, the elk population has exploded to around 7,000 and they have not been tested.

“Everybody knew something like this was going to happen, there’s too many numbers of elk out there and they’ re not doing anything to really eradicate them, so it’s just going to get out of control and TB spreads quite easily.”

The annual elk hunt at CFB Suffield got underway Tuesday, and the province is warning hunters to take extra precautions. But, officials with Environment and Parks say the risk of bovine TB infection in wildlife is actually quite low.

Except for a few cases within Wood Buffalo National Park, bovine TB has not been found in free-range elk, moose or deer in Alberta.

Although the disease has not been found in the animals yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not there.

The province is sending out information on the disease to hunters in the Jenner area with elk or deer tags, to help them identify any possible cases. There will also be provincial staff on hand from 1:00 P.M. To 9:00 P.M. every day of the hunt to help inspect the game and take samples if needed.

Joel Nicholson with Fish and Wildlife says this confirmed case of bovine TB in a cow, means they may look at testing wildlife for the disease in the future.

“We currently do not have a testing program because, of course, there was no evidence the disease was even on the landscape. But, our department staff are looking at working with the CFIA cooperatively to determine what’s necessary from a wildlife testing program for the future, but not immediately.”

Bovine TB does not readily transfer to humans, but hunters are being told to take precautions. They should wear waterproof gloves, thoroughly inspect the lungs and lymph nodes of the animals for any signs of the disease, and to properly clean all their tools. Officials are also warning hunters to cook the meat well as freezing, smoking or drying it may not kill the bacteria.

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