5 Kentucky elk brought to Wisconsin die from tick disease

Elk, Moose, Pronghorn, African Game, ect. Behaviors, Hunting Stories, Pictures, Tactics, Q&A.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
Dewey
Moderator
Posts: 36725
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:57 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

5 Kentucky elk brought to Wisconsin die from tick disease

Unread postby Dewey » Sat May 30, 2015 11:10 am

Five elk recently transferred to Wisconsin from Kentucky as part of a reintroduction effort died in mid-April because of a tick-borne disease, the Department of Natural Resources announced Monday.

The elk died over a period of about one week in a quarantine pen in Jackson County, according to the DNR. The dead elk included one adult cow, which carried an unborn calf, and four yearlings (three females and one male).

Necropsies on the dead animals revealed they died of acute Babesiosis, according to the DNR. The disease is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and are spread by certain ticks, including the deer tick.

State wildlife officials presume the elk were bitten by ticks after their arrival in Wisconsin. The dead animals were part of a shipment of 26 elk brought to Wisconsin in late March as part of a multiyear agreement with Kentucky wildlife officials. The plan calls for Wisconsin to receive up to 150 elk from Kentucky.

Wisconsin DNR moves 26 elk to Jackson County
"We're obviously disappointed," said Kurt Flack, a Wisconsin representative of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the leading financial contributor to the elk reintroduction. "It's shocking to lose five animals in so short a time. But we realize things like this can happen, and we maintain our support for bringing more elk to Wisconsin."

The newly transferred animals are being held in a 7-acre pen until they complete a quarantine, probably in early June.

While Babesiosis has previously been identified in Wisconsin and other states and is known to cause severe, acute disease in reindeer, elk and caribou, it's not clear if the disease has killed elk in Wisconsin before, according to Tami Ryan, chief of the DNR's wildlife health section.

Confirmatory testing must be done on recently deceased animals, such as the elk in the holding pen.

Although Babesiosis has also been isolated in white-tailed deer, it has only led to benign infections in the continent's most abundant cervid, Ryan said.

The disease also affects humans. Wisconsin, Minnesota and states in the northeastern U.S. have the highest rates of Babesiosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The parasite that causes Babesiosis typically is spread by a tick in the the young nymph stage of their life cycle, when they are most apt to be found seeking a blood meal during spring and summer.

Before falling ill, the five elk were in good nutritional and physical health, according to the DNR. The 21 elk remaining in the Jackson County quarantine pen will continue to receive 24-hour care, and the department will monitor these elk with the animals' health as top priority, the agency said.

Numbers, diversity
Elk are native to Wisconsin but were extirpated by habitat loss and unregulated hunting in the 1800s. The state began a reintroduction effort in 1995 with an experimental herd of 25 elk near Clam Lake. That northern herd numbered about 150 in December, according to DNR estimates.

Wisconsin wildlife officials have been keen to bring more elk to the state, both to bolster numbers of the fledgling wild herd and to increase its genetic diversity. The state recently established the elk management zone in Jackson County.

The project to bring additional elk to Wisconsin is being funded by donations from groups including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (a minimum of $300,000), the Ho-Chunk Nation ($150,000) and Jackson County Wildlife Fund ($50,000). State officials have committed to using only funds received from partner organizations.

Local officials are hopeful the Jackson County elk herd will boost the area's tourism economy. Tentative plans include establishing areas where visitors may view elk, said Chris Hardie, executive director of the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce.

Hardie was disappointed to hear about the loss of the five elk.

"Everybody was concerned about losing elk to wolves and car collisions," Hardie said. "This is obviously not news we wanted to hear, but it's not totally unexpected to lose animals during such a project."

Ryan said the remaining elk in the Jackson County pen would not be treated with antibiotics or other drugs specific to Babesiosis.

"There is no pre-symptomatic treatment option," Ryan said. "However, due to 24-hour monitoring and surveillance and caretaker daily observations, if clinical signs are observed, our wild veterinarian has a treatment plan."

As of the most recent report, the 21 remaining elk appear in good condition and are being observed multiple times per day, according to the DNR.

Blood tests earlier this year showed six of the remaining cows were pregnant. If they are still carrying calves, they are expected to give birth in the coming days or weeks.

The plan for the remaining elk has not been changed, according to the agency. Once the quarantine is completed, likely in early June, the door to the holding pen will be opened and the elk will be released into the Black River State Forest.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image



  • Advertisement

Return to “Big Game Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests