Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
controlled properly, slaughter houses no longer function properly, and animals are no longer
vaccinated because the vaccines cannot be afforded - and these are required for beef sales to
Europe. As a result disease has also spread through the wildlife populations. Wildlife disease
is a consistent risk for large populations and may have been a factor in the population crash of
the American bison. Gordon-Cummings relates coming across plains of dead wildebeest,
springbok, and blesbok killed by either famine or a mangy disease called by the Dutch “brunt
sickta” that would often sweep across the plains among the animals. Indeed, TB has been
found in bison in the USA and also deer in Michigan but is much more common in Kruger Park
buffalo, particularly in the south.
Colorado Rocky Mountain Deer
Elk in Yellowstone are affected by brucellosis. African wildlife disease such as swine flu,
foot and mouth disease, Newcastle disease, rift valley fever, malignant catarrhal fever,
brucellosis, corridor disease (buffalo are carriers of this tick based disease Theileriosis), East
Coast fever (also carried by buffalo) and anthrax often kill wild life. However, many wildlife
species are resistant or are only carriers. In addition, wildebeest are innately resistant to many
ticks and buffalo acquire immunity as calves. This resistance is due to release of histamines
that cause blood vessel dilatation preventing attachment, antibodies to tick antigens, damage to
tick cells, reduced feeding or hatching of eggs, and killing the ticks. Anthrax usually affects
buffalo and kudu and account for 68% of the anthrax deaths although lions may be affected and
recently 36 elephants died in Linyanti from anthrax. Although vultures are resistant to anthrax
they spread it to other animals particularly when they drink at water holes and then other
animals come in contact with the bacteria or spores. The spores can last a long time in dust.
Anthrax spread also appears to be related to overpopulation of kudu because as they die off
from anthrax, blow flies feed on the carcasses and then spread the spores to leaves on which
the flies rest that are in turn eaten by browsing kudu (or sometimes elephants). In warm
temperatures and humid conditions an impala or even a buffalo or elephant can be stripped,
except for the skin, within a week by blow flies and since it is estimated that 10% of animals
that die are not detected by carnivores, blow fly maggots dispose of much carrion. Distemper
and rabies frequently affects social animals like jackals and wild dogs and recently a large
population of wild dogs in Madikwe died because the pups had not been vaccinated against
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