From MTTdrahthaar-Sorry to be a sarcastic jerk again,
And you want to talk diseases? Scare all the soccer moms out there? Push the same type of rhetoric as the PETA folks? Nice. But I would suggest doing a little research on it first. You want to talk Echinoccus granulosus or multilocularis? Occurance of E. granulosus(the one wolves tend to carry) is 1 in a million. Even where its considered endemic(northern AK), its 1 per 100,000. And funny where it has been seen in the lower 48, its most common(if you want to call it common) in California, Arizona, NM. You think they were drop shipping MV wolves there too? Or is it possible there are greater risk factors than wolves. See, rhetoric. ANY place anyone ever had sheep, you could have this. Blaming wolves and the gubmint is a waste of time.
Coyotes carry multilocularis, which causes alveolar(lung) cysts. I don't hear anyone calling for extermination there.
And since its such a huge scary issue, why do I see all these successful hunters and trappers in BC and AB giving great big hugs to their wolves for their hero shots. No gloves, no masks, no protection from this horrific affliction. Don't spew that garbage. You had people scared to go pick huckleberries last summer, afraid they are going to pick up Echinococcus.
I'm glad you brought the disease issue up MTT as I have much information on the subject and of course just itching to share "all" of it with you. Now don't try to stop me, I just know you are half out of your mind with anticipation.
USFWS Basically Ignored Concerns About Disease From Wolves Before Reintroduction
1. Diseases, Worms, and Parasites. I was surprised that the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) did not make a detailed study on the impact issue of diseases, worms, and parasites (page 9). I believe an EIS is not complete without a detailed study covering the diseases, worms and parasites that wolves would carry, harbor, and spread around in YNP (Yellowstone National Park) and in Idaho. The study should cover the potential negative impact of these diseases on wild and domestic animals, and on humans. I believe the potential negative impact of the diseases is a valid reason not to reintroduce wolves into YNP and to Idaho.
Countless articles about the diseases, worms and parasites carried, harbored, and spread around by wide ranging wolves have been published in a magazine sponsored by the former Soviet Ministry of Agriculture. For example, a Soviet biologist reported that gray wolves are carriers of a number of types of worms and parasites which are dangerous for animals and for humans. According to this biologist, the main one is cestoda. Over approximately a ten year period, the Soviets conducted a controlled study on the subject. They made the following observations. When and where wolves were almost eliminated in a given research area, (where almost all wolves were killed by each spring and new wolves moved into the controlled area only in the fall) infections of taenia hydatiqena in moose and boar did not occur in more than 30 to 35% of the animals. The rate of infections were 3 to 5 examples in each animal. When and where wolves were not killed in the controlled areas in the spring, and where there were 1 or 2 litters of wolf cubs, the infections in moose and boar of taenia hydatiqena reached 100% and up to 30 to 40 examples of infection (infestation) were in each moose and boar. Each year the Soviets studied 20 moose and 50 boar. The research was documented and proved that even in the presence of foxes, raccoons and domestic dogs, ONLY THE WOLF was the basic source of the infections in the moose and boar. Examinations of 9 wolves showed that each one was infected with taenia hydatiqena with an intensity of 5 to 127 examples. This confirmed the Soviet conclusions. The damage done by taenia hydatiqena to cloven footed game animals is documented by Soviet veterinarians. My concern is that if gray wolves in the former USSR carried and spread to game animals dangerous parasites, then there must be danger that gray wolves in YNP and in Idaho would also spread parasites. Why should we subject our game animals, and possibly our domestic animals to such danger?
If wolves are planted in YNP and in Idaho, I believe the wolves will undoubtedly play a role in the epizootiology and epidemiology of rabies. The wolf has played an important role, or perhaps a major role, as a source of rabies for humans in Russia, Asia, and the former USSR. From 1976 to 1980 a wolf bite was the cause of rabies in 3.5% of human cases in the Uzbek, Kazakh, and Georgian SSRs and in several areas of the RSFSR. Thirty cases of wolf rabies and 36 attacks on humans by wolves were registered in 1975 – 1978 only in the European area of the RSFSR. In the Ukraine, wolf rabies constituted .8% of all cases of rabies in wildlife in 1964 to 1978. The incidence of wolf rabies increased six fold between 1977 and 1979. The epizootic significance of the wolf has been shown in the Siberian part of the former USSR. Between 1950 and 1977 a total of 8.7% of rabies cases in the Eastern Baikal region were caused by wolf bites. In the Aktyubinsk Region of Kazakhstan, of 54 wolves examined from 1972 to 1978, 17 or 31.5% tested positive for rabies. During this period, 50 people were attacked by wolves and 33 suffered bites by rabid wolves. This shows that healthy wolves also attack and bite humans. Recent Russian research states that as the numbers of hybrid wolves increases, the likelihood of a healthy hybrid wolf attacking humans also increase. Russian wildlife specialists state that when there is no hunting of wolves, the possibility of wolves attacking humans also increases, as the wolves lose their fear of humans.
Wolves not only have and carry rabies, but also have carried foot and mouth disease and anthrax. Wolves in Russia are reported to carry over 50 types of worms and parasites, including echinococcus, cysticercus and the trichinellidae family.
Prior to planting wolves in YNP and Idaho, I respectfully request a detailed study be made on the potential impact wolves will have in regard to carry, harboring and spreading of diseases.
Read More @
http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/200...eintroduction/
Dr. Valerius Geist’s Response to the Claims
That Hydatid Disease Spread by Wolves Does
Not Represent a Significant Threat to Humans
The Wildlife Disease Cover-Up That May Put You
and Your Family at Risk
IDFG “White Paper” Response to Concerns About
Wolves Introducing New Strain of Hydatid Disease
http://rliv.com/wolf/OutdoorsmanJan2010.pdf
“Wolf Worms” And Other Wolf-Born Diseases
http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/201...born-diseases/