Scary prospect of diseased wildlife

26 February 2001



‘Scary’ prospect of diseased wildlife

By Donald MacPhail

BRITAINS foot-and-mouth crisis will move to a “scary” level if the disease is found in wild deer or escaped wild boar, warns a leading vet.

Outbreaks appear to be following a logical pattern, linking all cases so far to a common source, says Mac Johnston of the Royal Veterinary College.

But if cases are reported which do not seem linked to previous outbreaks that would indicate that wild animals are carrying the disease, he said.

“This is one of the major concerns,” admitted Prof Johnston. “If the disease pops in an unexpected or unexplained place, then that would be scary.”

In addition to the high-risk cloven-hoofed carriers, other species, such as humans, hedgehogs, cats, dogs, foxes and birds can also spread the disease.

Prof Johnston urged farmers to take all possible hygiene precautions to prevent the disease reaching their farms.

The public must stay out of the countryside, he said.

He said that farmers should not stop using their dogs to round up stock – provided the animal had not left the farm.

But he advised against dogs from other areas being brought on to farms while the outbreak continued.

He warned that the “worst case scenario” could involve traditional pork breeds which root around in woodland.

If one of these pigs came into contact with an infected muntjac, it would pose “an interesting conundrum”, which would mean the slaughter of all animals involved.
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He added: “Ive got my fingers and everything else crossed and hope that we can get through this. The situation will become clearer in the next couple of days.”

Meanwhile, producers have been advised not to cull deer on their unit by a leading Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) vet in East Anglia.

“Wild deer are a concern, but MAFF will take a decision to cull if necessary,” said Eastern Region Veterinary Service head Gareth Jones.

“It is dangerous for farmers to cull themselves as this risks dispersing deer over a wider area, potentially spreading infection.

“It is better to leave them undisturbed.”

Foot-and-mouth cases and links