CATTLE- PLAGUE IN CALIFORNIA

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 221, 17 September 1924, Page 13

CATTLE- PLAGUE IN CALIFORNIA

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. 102,(>D0 ANIMALS SLAUGHTERED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SAN FRANCISCO, August 30. Coincident to the action of the NewZealand Government placing an embargo on fruit and vegetables from California, entering the Dominion .owing to the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease in the Golden State, some idea of the extraordinary ravages of the disease may be gathered by a recent statement issued by - Dr. J. R. Mohler, chief of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture, who reported in the city of Oakland, California, that the foot-and-mouth disease in California had cost approximately- 5,000,000 dollars, and had necessitated the slaughter of 102,000 head of livestock. Dr. Mohler has been directing the Government end of the campaign against the epizootic, and he stated that there were 208 men still in the field in the campaign, although fourteen counties of the State had been released from quarantine. An official statement issued by the United States ( Department of Agriculture was to the following effect: -, "Of the 16 counties; involved -in the California outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, 14 are now considered entirely free from infection, another is : probably free, and the final o ne Tuolumne — still contains a email I but baffling centre of inspected infection. This istat«&nent of ..the situation was made by Dr. John K. Mohler, chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agricul-I ture, following a trip bf " inspection through the portions of California visited ; by-the livestock plague. . "None of the 14 counties from, which -the- disease.. is considered eradicatedhave experienced any recurrence pf infection for more than two months. Loa Angeles County, where this disease at lone time waa it serious menace*, but

which is now probably safe, has experienced no flare-ups since August 3. Inspectors are using test animals there, as elsewhere, to make certain that the disease is entirely eradicated:" Difficult Task. _ 'Tuolumne County has presented unusual difficulties in eradication work throughout the entire outbreak, due to the broken and rugged character of the 1 land. It contains forests, canyons and mountains, including high peaks. Travel is largely by horseback. But even there all known diseased herds have, been slaughtered and buried, and the range cattle in the less accessible* portions,' comprising part of the Stasis- j lavs National Forest, are under a state! of siege. Most of the animals are on! the high mountain pastures, and move about so freely, that thorough inspection of all the animals is impracticable. A force of about 50 picked veterinarians working out from a central camp is constantly making inspections, however. These men are supplemented with 12 others, who with pack horses are engaged in 'picket duty/ and constantly circle the infected area to prevent the ingress or egress of any stock. Still other inspectors are watching the passes which the animals use in going .to the different mountain feeding grounds. "The men, working under the direction of the supervising Federal Inspector, are under orders to make inspections when possible, but, when stray animals are found on infected ranges and cannot be approached closely, to. shoot them in their tracks, i These animals are buried deeply, a record, being kept of the brands for the purpose of paying indemnity.' The central camp is 26 miles from the. nearest' city,, and travel during; the' last eight miles of that distance is by horseback. Owing to the high altitude, cold weather is already beginning to kill the vegetation on . the mountain pastures, and within a few weeks the stock will begin to. move toward the home ranches.. All stock driven from the forest by snow and cold weather will be inspected repeatedly while on the trail, and test animals - will be placed on the home ranches to which the stock belong. !' "Next year the infected areas will be entirely closed to livestock as a precautionary measure. "In commenting on these final steps for suppressing the Californian outbreak of -foot-and-mouth disease. Dr. Mohler stated that the entire cast of, eradication of the disease promises -to be extremely small when compared with losses occurring annually in foreign countries where the disease is present in chronic form. Through effective quarantine measures and other safeguards, outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disuse in the United States, have averaged only ono a. decade for the last 40 years." ~_'-■ ' " .- |