Take this serious!

[Lowedog]

Can't they also shapeshift from wolves to humans?  Maybe that is why they are rarely seen!!!

[wolfbait]

Letter from reknown  wolf expert,  Val Geist

When the news broke that hydatid disease had established itself in the NW of the United States, I quickly responded , stating some of the precautions hunters should take in the field. As a Canadian field biologist I had been well instructed about hydatid disease in my training, which reinforced what I knew since childhood, because a relative of mine died of hydatid disease, while friendships during my career with medical people experienced with that disease reinforced what I knew. It's nothing to fool around with! I am consequently a bit concerned about recent statement that take a rather cavalier attitude towards the disease. The peo- and contra machinations pertaining to wolves are of little concern here. What is important is that people living or recreating in areas with hydatid disease take precautions, while steps have to be undertaken to eradicate the disease. To those supporting wolf conservation, let me make it clear: if wolves are going to survive in the NW, it will be wolves without infestations with dog tape worms. On this point, ludicrous as it may seem today to some, all parties can and should unite.
The more each party does its home work, the more likely this happy event will come to pass!

 To reiterate briefly: because infected wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes but also putty cats small and big, like mountain lions, or even raccoons, may carry dog tape worm, or fox tape worm or a number of related species of tape worms, all of which are bad business, it is important that feces from carnivores is treated with great care – as well as the handling of carcasses and skins of carnivores in affected areas.

 Because the tiny eggs, liberated by the millions in carnivore feces, are dispersed even by tiny air currents, it is important for reasons of personal health not to poke or kick such feces. It will usually be dry. It will then liberate clouds of tape worm eggs and this cloud of eggs will settle on your clothing, your exposed skin, in your sinuses and wind pipe, on your lips and if you inhale through the mouth in your oral cavity. If you lick your lips, the eggs will get into your oral cavity. When sinuses and windpipe clear themselves of inhaled particles with your sputum the eggs will get into your mouth and be swallowed with sputum. If you touch the feces or even poke it chances are the cloud of tine eggs will also settle on your hands, and may contaminate the food you handle or eat.

 People with dogs are at risk because their dogs may feed unbeknown to them on carcasses or gut piles of big game infected with that disease, infecting themselves with dog tape worm. These dogs will defecate in kennel and yards, spreading these tiny eggs. They will also lick their anus and fur spreading the eggs into their fur. The eggs will cling to boots and and be carried indoor, where they float about till they settle down as dust. Now everybody is at risk of infection, especially toddlers crawling around on the floor. Putty cats can also be involved.

 Hunters and ranching folks keeping or hunting with dogs in areas infected with hydatid disease are thus much more at risk rather urban populations. The disease is silent, difficult to detect till very late, innocuous when the infection is light, provided the cyst forms is not interfering with vital functions, but lethal if it does, especially if cysts form in the brain. Fox tape worm infections are worse. New is that some drugs and help contain the disease; in may cases surgery is required. Unfortunately, the surgery can be very tricky.

 To control the disease, we may have to do controlled burning of big game winter ranges to burn off the eggs. We should also consider targeting known wolf packs with medicated bait to purge them of tape worms.

 I wrote this much in an article in press and send the manuscript to a colleague in Finland, Dr. Karloo Nygren, a game biologist working on hydatid disease, asking him if I was correct or if I had exaggerated in any way or form.

 Here is his reply. Enjoy!


Dear Val,

I am indeed working on Echinococcus granulosus even after my retirement 1.3.2010, because it appeared to be spreading in my own home area, Karelia, both sides of the Fenno- Russian border. I am afraid it will not only affect our staple food and essential part of our heritage, moose, but also us directly. Hunters, dog owners, forest workers, berry and mushroom pickers wil indeed be in danger. I agree in all you told in your paper; none of it is exaggeration.

So far, the largest hydatide disease outburst was in sixties- seventies in northernmost Lapland where it severely affected reindeer keeping people. It sincerely came with the wolves. I still remember dramatic articles of that period describing aerial extermination offensives against the wolves; never before or after that we have used aeroplanes with soldiers using "Suomi" submachine guns against wildlife! Wolf population was thinned out by all means. I also have among memories from my younger days a radio program where the local Game Chief (we have 15 such in Finland) gave instructions how to shoot a wolf through the window - what gun and cartridges one should use and how close to the glass one should keep the barrel when the beast is watching through it.

After this operation, much work and propaganda was needed to clean the reindeer herding dogs in and out. But it was done. Now, this new wolf wave brought the parasite in again. Beginning from the reindeer area, findings gradually spread southwards along the eastern border. Last spring, I was asked to obduce a moose found dead in the snow near Värtsilä, were we have an important border and customs station with about a million passengers annually coming and going. The moose was almost hairless (for a reason we were unable to confirm) but it had hydatid cysts in many organs, particularly lungs. I sampled the contents by injection needle and in a droplet placed on an objective glass, thousands of things like miniature human skulls with sharp teeth (my first impression!)were seen. This was the first case ofE.granulosus for me. I have seen thousands of Taenia cysts in our moose  after opening thousands of carcasses but this was something else. And it was in my moose herd. I quickly organized a sampling in that game management unit the moose was found and in the neighbourhood also; hunters gave me a total sample from their bag for last year. We did lungs only and used official state vets to make it officially very clear. It was shown that every 5th moose was carrying it in their lungs. Since liver seems to be among the very first organs normally affected, there may be an even higher prevalence than observed. 

I told about our findings in an Swedish speaking radio program in Finland and it also was heard in Sweden. The chief of Swedish hunters association, Dr.vet.med. Torsten Mörner commented and revealed that it has been found in Sweden also, after the re-appearence of wolves. Prof. Pjotr Danilov has started some kind of a program to find out the situation on his side of Karelia. Last March, a large wolf was killed by hunters near the border on Russian side. It had been seen several times on our side also and had caused fear only by its size. The weight measured soon after killing was 79 kilograms.We still seem to have some of that size alive.

It is no wonder why the Karelian Orthodox people living in villages feared wolves, killed them by all means but also considered dogs being not clean enough to be allowed inside human dwellings. Dog in the village chapel, not to speak in monastries almost caused a burning and re- building the house. Thorough cleaning and religious rituals were needed anyway. One should also keep in mind, that in a orthodox home, a set of hand washing equipment near the door was as essential as icons on the opposite right-hand corner shelf. Before even greeting the people, the incoming person was supposed to wash his hands, dry them with a specially decorated towel, then make a cross sign with his right hand and bow towards the icon. Then, he was asked to step further. Here, the homologies with other religious groups like Jews and Muslims automatically come in one´s mind. Do not eat pork (trichinosis danger!), do not trink or eat blood or you might die in bacterial poisons! Wash your hands to avoid hydatid disease!

 Our hunters are just starting to understand what this all means. So do our veterinarians. The first concern of the lady dissecting our moose lungs was: "How should we publice this without the risk that people start demanding all our wolver to be killed?"

Best wishes for 2010

 Kaarlo Nygrén

[Lowedog]

Infestation in wolves poses no danger to humans, livestock, officials say


http://www.billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_dc285eb4-fb34-11de-9b39-001cc4c03286.html

Tapeworms that hitched a ride south of the Canadian border in gray wolves have stirred speculation about possible transmission to humans and livestock in Montana and Idaho.
A study published in the October issue of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases documented the first instances of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus in Montana and Idaho wolves. The study found that more than 60 percent of the 60 wolves tested from Montana and 63 Idaho wolves had the worms.
The fact that wolves contained the tapeworm was not a surprise, according to one of the study’s authors, veterinarian Mark Drew of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The tapeworm has long been known to exist in wolves in Canada and Alaska and to take up temporary residence in game animals such as elk, deer, caribou and moose as part of its life cycle.
“It’s been around in the wolf-ungulate system forever,” Drew said.
But how it arrived in Montana and Idaho wolves is uncertain.
Migrating tapeworms

Did the tapeworm ride south in wolves roaming over the Canadian border? Or did it arrive when wolves were transplanted into Yellowstone National Park from Canada beginning in 1995?
To avoid just such a scenario, wolves transplanted from Canada to Yellowstone were dewormed, but whether the medicine was 100 percent effective is uncertain, Drew said.
“It makes it lower on the list for likely possibilities,” he said.
The study’s lead author, parasitologist William Foreyt of Washington State University, said he believes Yellowstone’s transplanted wolves carried the tapeworm, but he can’t prove it.
“In my opinion it was brought here by the wolves that were transplanted to Yellowstone,” he said.
Worm mecca

No matter how they arrived, what surprised Foreyt was the amount of tapeworms found in the 123 wolves studied.
“I was absolutely shocked to see such a high prevalence,” he said. “Some of these wolves had tens of thousands of tapeworms. They were massively infected.”
Such high prevalence increases the possibility that the tapeworm will spread. The eggs of the tapeworms enter the environment through a wolf’s feces. Ungulates can ingest the eggs by feeding on vegetation next to the feces. The tapeworms hatch in the host’s gut, and the embryos search out organs such as the liver and lungs, where they form a golf-ball- to grapefruit-sized cyst. When wolves kill an infected ungulate and eat the cyst, the cycle begins again.
Tapeworms, viruses, bacteria and diseases are common to wildlife, said veterinarian Deborah McCauley, who worked on the study for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She doesn’t believe the Echinococcus tapeworm will have any harmful effect on the state’s elk herds.
“In ungulates it doesn’t cause a significant disease,” she said.
Unfounded concerns

Transmission of the tapeworm to humans or livestock is unlikely, Foreyt said.
“It’s primarily a wild-ungulate, wolf or coyote cycle,” he said. “If it would occur in domestic stock I think we would have seen it already.”
For humans to contract the tapeworm, they would have to somehow come into oral contact with a wolf’s feces, Foreyt said. Poking around in dried wolf feces might release the eggs into the air, but he said the person would have to ingest the eggs, not just inhale them, for the tapeworm to take root.
Even if a hunter were to eat an infected elk or deer, Foreyt said the chance of infection is “no problem at all.”
“You could even eat the cyst and it will not infect you,” he said. “You’d have to eat the eggs in the feces. You have to swallow them.”
Incidence of the tapeworm in humans is most prevalent in Inuit people because of their close proximity to wolves and constant interaction with sled dogs, Drew said. There has never been an instance of human echinococcosis, called hydatidosis or hydatid disease, documented in Montana, according to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Wash before you eat

To prevent contamination, Drew suggested that wolf hunters take normal precautions such as wearing latex gloves when dressing the animal and washing their hands before eating or smoking after handling a wolf.
“You don’t have to put on a moon suit,” Drew said. “Reasonable precautions should protect you from Echinococcus as well as other parasites out there.
“The bigger risk would be for the hunter who brings a carcass home and feeds the dog scraps, or the dog that gets into a gut pile,” he added. “That’s a vet bill waiting to happen.”
How many deer, elk, moose or mountain goats may be infected by the tapeworm in Montana or Idaho is uncertain.
“There are more deer and elk infected than people realize,” Drew said, but no study has been done.
The fact that their study was the first to document the tapeworm’s spread to Montana and Idaho excited Foreyt.
“It’s just something we haven’t seen in this area before,” he said. “I assume we’ll see it eventually in Washington and Oregon. Wherever there are wolves there are Echinococcus.”
Contact Brett French at french@billingsgazette.com or at 657-1387.

[wolfbait]

(Infestation in wolves poses no danger to humans, livestock, officials say)


Nice to see you are starting to dig a little deeper Lowedog , but I will be trusting the folks like Will Graves, Val Geist, and David Mech who have spent their lives studying wolves, rather than officials who have lied throughout the wolf introduction.

[Lowedog]

There is info all over the web about Hydatid Disease.  It is nothing new.  Seems it is something that is very common in sheep and sheep dogs. 

[Sporting_Man]

This is NOT common, and this is not normal! NW and most of USA were blessed for not having to deal with this monster disease! The culture of having house dogs (that sleep in bedrooms occasionally) and other pets in combination with echinococcosis being around is a big danger for our kids and the rest of population alike...  
I posted already that I know people from Southern and Eastern Europe who were infected. Do not be ignorant and believe that these were some dirty peasants who did not know what the warm water feels like... I know for sure that in that part of the world everybody, regardles of their religion, takes shoes off when entering home and also wash hands before touching anything else in the house. Go figure...
Hydatid disease attacks normal people who like outdoors and get exposed. THAT IS ALL IT TAKES! With ambition of increasing wolf numbers this patern can only increase.  
My God, how stupid idea this wolf introduction was, and still is...

[wolfbait]

There is info all over the web about Hydatid Disease.  It is nothing new.  Seems it is something that is very common in sheep and sheep dogs. 

Like Ed Bangs did before the wolf introduction, this is being down played. Wyoming has lost many moose from the disease caused by wolves. Now Oregon is also losing moose, at some point in time the whole truth will come out, it is starting to peek out now. In fact 2010 will be the year that all the facts of how bad the wolf introduction has hurt the lower 48 will come into full view for all to see. If I worked for the wolf introduction I would be running for cover kind of like some Democrats are doing. Not going to be a pretty sight for some who have ruined so much, over greed.

[Lowedog]

Like Ed Bangs did before the wolf introduction, this is being down played. Wyoming has lost many moose from the disease caused by wolves. Now Oregon is also losing moose, at some point in time the whole truth will come out, it is starting to peek out now. In fact 2010 will be the year that all the facts of how bad the wolf introduction has hurt the lower 48 will come into full view for all to see. If I worked for the wolf introduction I would be running for cover kind of like some Democrats are doing. Not going to be a pretty sight for some who have ruined so much, over greed.

I won't be holding my breath waiting for that to happen. 

This is NOT common, and this is not normal! NW and most of USA were blessed for not having to deal with this monster disease! The culture of having house dogs (that sleep in bedrooms occasionally) and other pets in combination with echinococcosis being around is a big danger for our kids and the rest of population alike... 
I posted already that I know people from Southern and Eastern Europe who were infected. Do not be ignorant and believe that these were some dirty peasants who did not know what the warm water feels like... I know for sure that in that part of the world everybody, regardles of their religion, takes shoes off when entering home and also wash hands before touching anything else in the house. Go figure...
Hydatid disease attacks normal people who like outdoors and get exposed. THAT IS ALL IT TAKES! With ambition of increasing wolf numbers this patern can only increase. 
My God, how stupid idea this wolf introduction was, and still is...

If it is not common then why can a simple google search bring up more info than I care to read.  I found articles dating way back talking about sheep and sheep dogs as well as people being infected by this. 

It has been around forever in wolves, coyotes and dogs.  Let alone most other predators. 

[wolfbait]

Like Ed Bangs did before the wolf introduction, this is being down played. Wyoming has lost many moose from the disease caused by wolves. Now Oregon is also losing moose, at some point in time the whole truth will come out, it is starting to peek out now. In fact 2010 will be the year that all the facts of how bad the wolf introduction has hurt the lower 48 will come into full view for all to see. If I worked for the wolf introduction I would be running for cover kind of like some Democrats are doing. Not going to be a pretty sight for some who have ruined so much, over greed.

I won't be holding my breath waiting for that to happen. 

This is NOT common, and this is not normal! NW and most of USA were blessed for not having to deal with this monster disease! The culture of having house dogs (that sleep in bedrooms occasionally) and other pets in combination with echinococcosis being around is a big danger for our kids and the rest of population alike... 
I posted already that I know people from Southern and Eastern Europe who were infected. Do not be ignorant and believe that these were some dirty peasants who did not know what the warm water feels like... I know for sure that in that part of the world everybody, regardles of their religion, takes shoes off when entering home and also wash hands before touching anything else in the house. Go figure...
Hydatid disease attacks normal people who like outdoors and get exposed. THAT IS ALL IT TAKES! With ambition of increasing wolf numbers this patern can only increase. 
My God, how stupid idea this wolf introduction was, and still is...

If it is not common then why can a simple google search bring up more info than I care to read.  I found articles dating way back talking about sheep and sheep dogs as well as people being infected by this. 

It has been around forever in wolves, coyotes and dogs.  Let alone most other predators. 

If you are really interested in how the wolves have and will put the hurt on everyone in the lower 48 with the diseases that wolves carry, why don't you call, Will Graves, and Val Geist. These are the foremost wolf experts, this just wasn't a nine to five job for them, it was their lives. They know more about wolves than all the ED Bangs put together.

Wolves travel and expand many miles, they spread diseases where ever they go, with a high wolf population such as we have now in the lower 48, everyone is susceptible. People that go to the country can bring it home and spread it to people who have never seen the country except on TV. The officials will and are down playing this, and will continue to do so, after all they have the most to lose. Wyoming and now Utah are the only states so far that don't have their head up their @ss where wolves are concerned. Wolfbait

[Lowedog]

I am not that interested.  Like I said.  A simple google search provided me with more info than I care to read on the subject.  I have come to the conclusion that it nothing more than a scare tactic. 

Good info to have in that precautions should be taken when handling or having anything to do with predators in general but not a serious threat in my opinion. 

[Sporting_Man]

In simple words, our problem is: we have to deal with imposed health hazard (artificial introduction), knowing damn well it will take time to remove (it's gonna get worse before it gets better), and for what? Don't we have enough health hazards already? We have to pound on these very facts, time and over again, because pro-wolf advocates did not have it on their minds back then, when they all brain farted about wolves and acted as new modern gods... So, they should be called out for that neglect. 
It only takes your dog, or our neighbor's dog to get infected... then this is not just some occasional parasite that lives in deep forest... I wish my fears never get materialized, except for those who love wolves and hate elk, deer and outdoorsmen...

[wolfbait]

In simple words, our problem is: we have to deal with imposed health hazard (artificial introduction), knowing damn well it will take time to remove (it's gonna get worse before it gets better), and for what? Don't we have enough health hazards already? We have to pound on these very facts, time and over again, because pro-wolf advocates did not have it on their minds back then, when they all brain farted about wolves and acted as new modern gods... So, they should be called out for that neglect. 
It only takes your dog, or our neighbor's dog to get infected... then this is not just some occasional parasite that lives in deep forest... I wish my fears never get materialized, except for those who love wolves and hate elk, deer and outdoorsmen...

 Right you are Sporting_Man, sure hope Obama care don't pass the smell test. I can just imagine the waiting line for those infested with the wolf diseases that USFWS brought into this part of the country. Isn't going to be a pretty sight, specially with some of the pro-wolf people, which act like they already have rabies when they are defending their lovely wolves.

[Lowedog]

I would say you are much more likely to be infected from your cat or dog than a wolf...


http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/alveolarechinococcosis/factsht_alveolarechinococcosis.htm



What is Alveolar Echinococcosis (AE)?

AE disease results from being infected with the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, a microscopic tapeworm (1-4 millimeters) found in foxes, coyotes, dogs, and cats. Although human cases are rare, infection in humans causes parasitic tumors to form in the liver, and, less commonly, the lungs, brain, and other organs. If left untreated, infection with AE can be fatal.



Where has AE been found?

AE is found worldwide, mostly in northern latitudes. Cases have been reported in central Europe, Russia, China, Central Asia, Japan, and North America. In North America E. multilocularis is found primarily in the north central region from eastern Montana to central Ohio, as well as Alaska and Canada. Human cases have been reported in Alaska, the province of Manitoba, and Minnesota. Prevalence among wild foxes and coyotes is high, and may reach over 50% in some areas; however, even in these areas, transmission to humans has been low.



How does infection occur in foxes, coyotes, dogs, and other cats?

Wild foxes, coyotes, and cats get infected when they eat Echinococcus multilocularis larvae in infected rodents, field mice, or voles. Cats are less susceptible than dogs, but because they catch and eat rodents often, may also become infected. Once the animal becomes infected, the tapeworm matures in its intestine, produces eggs, and the infected animal passes eggs in the stool. These tapeworm eggs, which are directly infectious to other animals, are too tiny to see, and will stick to anything with which they come in contact. Coyotes, foxes, dogs, and cats are not harmed by the tapeworm and do not have symptoms of AE.



Can animals be tested for E. multilocularis tapeworms?

Routine fecal examinations are not sufficient to diagnose E. multilocularis infection. Infection with the E. multilocularis tapeworm and other tapeworms may occur at the same time. Eggs of Taenia species tapeworms and Echinococcus tapeworms are similar in shape and size and are very difficult to tell apart. If you live in an area where this parasite occurs or you are concerned about your dog or cat being infected with E. multilocularis or other tapeworms, see your veterinarian who can answer your questions and assess the risk of possible infection.



How can I be infected with AE?

By accidentally swallowing the eggs of the E. multilocularis tapeworm. Humans can be exposed to these eggs in two main ways, both of which involve "hand-to-mouth" transfer or contamination:

By directly ingesting food items contaminated with stool from foxes or coyotes. This might include grass, herbs, greens, or berries gathered from fields.
By petting or handling household cats and dogs infected with the E. multilocularis tapeworm. These pets may shed the tapeworm eggs in their stool, and their fur may be contaminated. Some dogs "scent roll" in foreign material (such as wild animal feces) and may become contaminated this way.


How likely am I to be infected with AE?

For 50 years, E. multilocularis was thought to be confined to the Alaskan coast and Canada. Now, because wild coyotes, foxes, and wolves are being trapped and transported to states where E. multilocularis has not previously been found, there is increased risk of spreading the disease to animals and humans. Wild animals carrying the tapeworm could set up the transmission cycle and expose animals not already infected. Many states prohibit this movement of wild animals, but trapping and movement of infected wild canines still occurs. If the transportation and relocation of these animals continues, the risk of human transmission will increase. Although the chances of contracting AE are low, certain groups may be at greater risk.

You may be at greater risk if you live in an area where E. multilocularis is found (see above). People at high risk include trappers, hunters, veterinarians, or others who contact wild foxes, coyotes, or their stool, or household cats and dogs who have the opportunity to eat wild rodents infected with AE.



What are the symptoms of AE?

AE is caused by tumor-like or cyst-like tapeworm larvae growing in the body. AE usually involves the liver, but can spread to other organs of the body. Because the cysts are slow-growing, infection with AE may not produce any symptoms for many years. Pain or discomfort in the upper abdominal region, weakness, and weight loss may occur as a result of the growing cysts. Symptoms may mimic those of liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.



How can I find out if I have AE?

See your health care provider if you think you may have been exposed to AE by one of the ways listed above. He or she can order a blood test for the presence of the parasite or antibodies to E. multilocularis.



What is the treatment for AE?

Surgery is the most common form of treatment for AE, although removal of the entire parasite mass is not always possible. After surgery, medication may be necessary to keep the cyst from growing back.



How can I prevent AE?

If you live in an area where E. multilocularis is found in rodents and wild canines, take the following precautions to avoid infection:

Don't touch a fox, coyote, or other wild canine, dead or alive, unless you are wearing gloves. Hunters and trappers should use plastic gloves to avoid exposure.
Don't keep wild animals, especially wild canines, as pets or encourage them to come close to your home.
Don't allow your cats and dogs to wander freely or to capture and eat rodents.
If you think that your pet may have eaten rodents, consult your veterinarian about the possible need for preventive treatments.
After handling pets, always wash your hands with soap and warm water.
Fence in gardens to keep out wild animals.
Do not collect or eat wild fruits or vegetables picked directly from the ground. All wild-picked foods should be washed carefully or cooked before eating.

[Little Dave]

Last time wolves were in Washington there were a few important differences.

1. There were 1.5 million people living here.  Today, there's 1.8 million in just King County.
2. Imaging equipment in that era wasn't really good enough to detect cysts.  Particularly in more remote areas.  You'd probably have to book a ride on a train to get to Seattle or back east somewhere if you had the money.
3. Many homes in this state lacked indoor plumbing.
4. Life expectancy for someone born around then was 45 to 50.

I figure that if one had a cyst forming in his lungs back then and could afford to see a physician, the ailment might have been triaged as some other respiratory problem, possibly pneumonia.  It is possible that parasites were a leading cause of death in those times, as it is today in Africa.

So, a public official in Montana might be correct to say that no cases recorded to date.  Wolves haven't been around for a while and our society has developed customs and traditions afforded by their absence... from relatively carefree camping in the woods, to not being too concerned about a kid eating a freshly picked wild berries.  You get this in your system it means surgery.  However, it may be cheaper to have the surgery done in India... where we have this article which starts:

Hydatid cysts of the lung are quite frequent in our country. Some patients have additional cysts in the liver. Though most of the liver cysts remain asymptomatic for long time, but may be symptomatic with increasing size. Surgical removal is the treatment of choice for both lung & liver cysts. Aim of the study was to establish suitability of one stage surgery for pulmonary & hepatic hydatid cysts.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w07323032570vg7l/

[Sporting_Man]

Lowedog,
It is not about which animal would infect you or me, it is about the fact that wolves roam around the area and spread something that without them would be confined to the limited space, and had no opportunity to thrive otherwise. They are the most efficient agent that spreads the disease, more than any other you can imagine. Your domestic cat was further away from the disease 15 years ago than it is today. Cats don't have a radius of movement like wolves do...
Lack of wolves in the past resulted in the lack of disease and lack our interest for it. Now, do we need to have this terrible illness happening around us, in order to shift to a higher gear of public interest? This thread may be understood as just another aspect/consequence of wolf presence, but for me it is also a warning and opportunity to change a few minds about the wolf presence. Honestly, I thought that a few wolves were not a bad idea (not thousands of them, for sure)... Now, I doubt if we need any of them. WA state is not even similar to underpopulated areas of BC, or Montana...