WILD BILL
Game Farms: Will We Learn Our Lesson Before It Is Too Late? Or Is It Already Too Late?
By Bill Schneider, 9-14-06
The news bugling out of eastern Idaho last week should scare the stuffing out of every elk hunter and wildlife biologist in the New West. A large herd of domesticated, genetically engineered elk--or at least we hope they were elk--escaped from a game farm and are now mingling (aka breeding) with wild elk, and probably not only in Idaho, but also in Montana and Wyoming. We don't know if they're carrying chronic wasting disease (CWD), but we know they're carrying some bad genes, so there goes the gene pool in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
All this happened because we don't have the good sense and cajoles to do what needs to be done to prevent a disaster that we've been able to see coming for decades. Will we learn our lesson before it's too late, if it's not already too late? Or should we prepare to spend our Octobers and Novembers of the future indoors reading about how elk hunting used to be?
As many as 160 elk broke through a fence in mid-August on the 200-acre Chief Joseph Elk Genetic Improvement and Canned Hunt Farm--self proclaimed as "Idaho's Finest Sportsman's Retreat"--near Rexburg, Idaho, on the fringe of the Targhee National Forest and 10 miles from Yellowstone National Park. The jail break was not immediately reported as required.
"This is the train wreck we've seen coming for a long time," Steve Huffaker, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, exclaimed in an August 30 AP story, as he announced the escape.
I checked the canned hunt operation's website and see that the hunts go for $5,995 for "any trophy elk." The three-day guided hunts include a guide, packer and guarantee, and you pay extra for the meat. If you go without a guide, then, there's no guarantee you'll take a trophy bull home.
Hunt the West's finest private elk herds, the website proclaims. Dr. Rex Rammell, "a devout big game sportsman and veterinarian specializing in wildlife management," has used "trophy genetics" to grow some of North America's largest trophy bull elk.
Even though Wyoming has a similar time bomb ready to go off in the form of 22 elk feedgrounds, the Cowboy State had the good foresight to ban game farms 31 years ago. Montana tried to get its legislature to do this, but failed, so in year 2000, hunters in the Big Sky State took the initiative from the politicians and passed a ballot measure that disallows shooting wildlife for a fee, prevents the expansion or transfer of existing game farm licenses, and bans the creation of new operations.
I'm sure hunters and wildlife biologists in Idaho would like to be like Montana or Wyoming in this case, but so far politics has prevented meaningful reform--although last year, at least, the Idaho legislators refused to expand the state law to allow moose farming and canned moose hunts.
Unlike Montana and Wyoming, Idaho has a powerful lobby called the Idaho Elk Breeder's Association. (They really should consider changing the name, don't you think?) But even the elk breeders' own association doesn't approve of what was going on at Rammell's game farm, nor is Rammell a member of the association. And no wonder! This situation could--and should--lead to a prohibition of elk farming and canned hunts in the Gem State.
Even though similar domestic elk at similar canned hunt concessionaires in other states have been diagnosed with CWD, there's no evidence that these escapees carried the dreaded disease or any other disease. One reason we don't know this is because Rammell refused to allow state inspectors to test his animals. This should have been enough for the state to immediately close and quarantine the operation, but again, I suspect, politics prevented this from happening.
But fears are rampant that the escaped animals did indeed carry CWD and perhaps other diseases such as brucellosis and are currently infecting the wild elk population in the local area. And the "local area" includes Yellowstone Park.
Also rampant are fears that the elk weren't purebred elk, but instead red deer or elk/red deer hybrids. Rammell did tell the Idaho Statesmen that elk hunters shouldn't fret because the escaped elk were "genetically superior." Now, there's a statement should give elk hunters and wildlife agency directors severe heartburn.
At the very least "genetically superior" means, the elk were selectively bred to produce oversized (aka unnatural) antlers. Now, in the midst of the September rut, those domestic, genetically superior bulls are out there breeding with wild, genetically normal cows.
Idaho Governor Jim Risch met with his staff and immediately signed an Executive Order to deal with the situation, but will it be enough? He sent seven, three-person teams of shooters into the local area to kill the elk, but after more than a week of trying to find them and enduring interference by Rammell and his employees, only about a dozen have been shot. Rammell reportedly has re-captured about 40 animals, which of course leaves most of the escapees loose and probably dispersed over a large area. It's highly likely many of the escaped animals will never be recovered.
The Elk Breeders supported Governor Risch's action, which angered Rammell. He has threatened legal action and warmed the association that this could stop all elk ranching in Idaho. Hunters can only hope that his fears are well founded.
One major problem is, of course, telling the difference between a wild elk and a genetically superior elk. Idaho law requires that elk breeders put blaze orange ear tags on their animals specifically with this problem in mind, but Rammell has refused to comply. Those orange ear tags probably made it difficult for him to convince customers to fork over $5,995 for the privilege of shooting an animal that might resemble an ear-tagged Hereford or Angus bull, which is not far from the truth, of course.
Instead he puts small brown tags that are virtually impossible to see. Allowing such blatant and illegal misbehavior should send a few heads rolling in the state Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible for enforcing the law.
It gets worse. In 2002, Rammell successfully lobbied the Idaho Legislature to forgive most of the more than $750,000 he owed to the state for failing to apply blaze-orange ear tags to identify the animals as domestic. You'd think such forgiveness would, at the very least, carry a requirement that he comply with the law in the future, but four years later, he is still ignoring the legal mandate.
If the state agency shooters can't kill the elk, the Governor's Executive Order allows the Fish and Game Commission to authorize an immediate depredation hunt. That's in addition to the archery season already open in the area around Rammell's elk farm.
In the end, it seems, a lot of elk are going to die, and that might be the best thing that could happen. As I've noted in past postings on this situation, the cure for game farming can be worse than the disease.
Drastic reduction of a local elk population always sounds bad, but nothing compared to the long-term pollution or dumbing down of the gene pool or the spread of CWD. When this incurable disease gets into the wild population, the state regulators will likely opt for temporary elimination of the local elk herd to keep it from spreading.
But alas, amid this doom and gloom, there is also good news. This embarrassing situation should be enough of a jolt to Idaho elk hunters and wildlife agencies into reality and convince them they should stop bowing to the agricultural lobby and go to the legislature for meaningful reform. And this reform should kick into motion a process resulting in the gradual elimination of game farming and canned hunt operations. If the legislature wimps out, I only hope hunters will use the initiative process to put it on the ballot and pass it as Montana did.
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But that's just my opinion.
I think there has been some research done that seems to tie the spread of the disease to the overall environment, most particularly to the fear that wasting disease remains in the soil and may be transmitted in such a manner with both wild and domestic elk. It has long been known, of course, that there are many chronic animal diseases that do transmit in this (soil) manner; once imbedded in the soil the disease can not be eliminated from it ~ such as strangles (horses) and distemper (cats).
Therefore, I must assume if the CDOW research and experimentation with the mass killings of domestic elk has been proven to be an unsuccessful measure to curtail or eliminate wasting disease it might be equally futile to do so with wild elk herds.
Although Rammell may well be an irresponsible person and although some domestic elk may be penned/contained ~ "canned" ~ for a kill, note should also be taken that not all domestic elk hunts are of that nature or killed in such a manner. Many game farms encompass many thousands of acres and their hunts are not unlike those in the wild. I know this is true of some in Colorado.
--Why are animals labeled as 'wild' if there is a low fence and 'domestic' if there is a high fence when those animals may occupy they same relative range?
--Why is genetic purity in animals desired when in people such racial separation is feared?
--Why is it that it's okay to put different species of elk together to make a new wild genetically strong herd in places like KY?
--Why is it that all mule deer and whitetail crosses in nature aren't sought and eliminated for violating genetic purity?
Personally, I don't like any of the commercial hunting operations where hunters are put in blinds or elevated stands while game travels from feeding grounds to beds. That's not hunting. That's killing. I do except handicapped hunters from this judgment. However, because I don't like it doesn't mean that I support banning it where the owner does not harm his neighbors or the public at large. Rose Mary makes a lot of sense.
I am definitely not totally knowledgeable about genetics or elk and I do not know when wasting disease was first "discovered" ~ how long it has been a public concern. But the primary difference between the wild and domestic elk of which I am aware is that the people who raise the domestic elk contain them and conduct an animal breeding program not unlike cattle or horses or any other domestic livestock. They buy and sell breeding stock amongst themselves as do other livestock producers. I have never heard of any of them capturing animals from the wild although I guess way-back-when they had to come from somewhere, huh?!!
Fencing is only about containment and ownership ~ in this case to contain privately-owned domestic elk and to fence-out publicly-owned wild elk which can sure not be done with regular ranch fencing. Elk bend T-posts flat to the ground without injury to them so domestic elk folks have a ton of bucks invested in their facilities.
In most cases I think that you will find people strive for genetic purity in animals in order to produce animals with better health and characteristics that are most appealing in the marketplace, whether that is to produce a horse with more athletic ability and better conformation or cattle that with less waste/fat when slaughtered for human consumption. With that in mind, one must presume that as long as hunters covet elk with the biggest antlers breeders will try to produce them. Different breeds of horses are often crossed in an attempt to perfect more performance in some specific event/use ~ for instance thoroughbreds were crossed with the quarter horse (known for racing the quarter-mile distance) in an attempt to produce a quarter horse with like-speed at a longer distance.
The norm regarding the transmission of disease has traditionally been fear of wild beasts infecting domestic ones since contained/domestic beasts can be vaccinated to prevent disease and this is an impossible solution for disease in the wild to the best of my knowledge. I suspect in this case the elk that were recaptured might have just returned to have their lunch at home and I also suspect there is no Executive Order from anyone that is going to make identification of any animal in the wild possible. When public agencies release and track animals in the wild they do so with monitoring devices implanted for that reason ~ ain't gonna find 'em by lookin', red tags or no red tags me-thinks.
I totally agree with you, Craig, when you say " ... because I don't like it doesn't mean that I support banning it where the owner does not harm his neighbors or the public at large." I guess the reasons people seek places for privatized hunting may be obvious ~ to each his own within that realm of reason.
I would love to know the source of your statement, Dude, saying that "Game farms are notorious for CWD and a host of other dangerous diseases not just to wildlife but also humans." I am fairly certain that CWD has NOT been determined EVER to be a disease that has been contracted by humans so I would sure like to know the research you are referencing. The last study I read firmly found that not to be the case and it also stated, as I recall, that they could not even get cows to contract the disease without directly inserting it into the brain of the cow in the lab which certainly harbors no risk beyond the lab.
I do know for a fact that NO " ... game farm was found to have CWD, it required the killing of all the animals present" because CWD *can* not be found in any LIVE animal!!! What they were doing is killing all the animals just to find out ~ AFTER THEY KILLED THEM ~ whether or not any one of them had CWD!!!
There is NO test available except to examine the brain of a DEAD animal.
Domestic elk have been "tracked" for quite some time but that does not mean they have all been killed, for obvious reasons. Unless you just take joy in the destruction of innocent beasts that might be considered to be a good thing. The method of disposal you reference is only that: a method of disposing of the dead.
I can only suggest that since this topic obviously elicits pure *outrage* from you, Dude, that you take some time to read about the research that has already been done and what is in progress now. It is unfair to yourself to believe things that are not true whether or not you want a single game farm to ever exist on the face of the earth or not.
I am certainly NOT soliciting your support of that industry, by any means ~ nor am I making any statement of blanket support of it or any other industry.
I just think that when you voice such strong objections to it and claims about it they should be factual.
... or so it seems to me ...
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4419502,00.html
I reference to two links posted. In addition, the copy of the article posted below.
http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/chronicWD.html#CWDQ4
https://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=152&txtPage=4
Rose Mary you are right on the mark, game farms do draw outrage and maybe even a tinge of anger from me. When pure calculated foolish greed threatens my kid’s inheritance, I will fight with all I have to protect it. To quote Idaho Governor Jim Risch “Our elk herds are one of the gems of the Gem State. We jealously guard that elk herd”. I feel the same for all the wildlife in the GYE.
I suggest that if you are looking for more information, you can do a Google search on ‘cwd, wildlife’. This will get you a good start at researching this disease and the many others that threaten our wildlife by the canned hunt folks, such as brucellosis. Perhaps you will educate yourself on all the facets of game farms. Maybe you will find that what seems to you really is not based on reality.
Although the link did not take me to the Rocky Mtn News article itself, I did find and re-read that article of which I was aware and had previously read regarding the finding of CWD in the leg muscles of a severely diseased Mule Deer.
To find a more expansive report regarding these findings I would suggest you read the in-depth information posted as "CWD Research from Science Journal; The Science of CWD: A Chronology of Literature on Chronic Wasting Disease" that can be found on the site at http://www.caids-wi.org/science-journal.html.
There you will find detailed information subtitled:
New Fears Founded?
The Results apply only to severely Diseased Mule Deer.
The Results only apply to Deer to Deer transmission, not Deer to Human.
A more sensitive CWD prion detection protocol was used in this study.
Nobody Has Ever Died from CWD.
Suggestions regarding "Major Implications for Wisconsin Deer Hunters and the Wisconsin DNR" appears on the same page, including:
Put Hunters first, DNR needs second.
Give Hunters the Rapid Test Results - Rapidly.
Place the Priority on Human Health and Full Disclosure.
More generalized information on the other links you referenced is also good basic information, of course, similar to that posted on most state DOW sites.
I regret that it is not obvious to you that I have read a great deal about this disease simply because I wanted to be informed about it ~ not because I wish to lobby for or against game farms specifically. If you have surmised that is or was my purpose you are wrong.
If you really do want to protect what you reference as your kid's inheritance ~ be that in regard to elk herds or any other publicly-owned entity of whatever kind or nature, but most particularly pertaining to the environment or wildlife ~ then I would hope to hear that someday you will personally make a positive contribution at your own expense. Some of us do, you know.
I saw something from New Zealand on what happens when red deer and elk get amourous. See here: http://www.redstag-hunting.com/elk_hunting.htm
" The origin of CWD is unknown. There are many theories and rumors about the origin of CWD in Colorado but there is noscientific proof to confirm these theories. We may never be able to answer this question.
"Some have stated that the disease may have started in wildlife research facilities, either in Colorado or Sybille, Wyoming, since the disease was first found in these facilities. The literature states that CWD was first recognized by game biologists in Colorado Division ofWildlife (CDOW) pens in 1967. However, the CDOW pens were not built until 1968. There were wildlife facilities in the location of the present-day CDOW research facility deer pens, but these pens were originally built by personnel fromColorado State University who were working with deer captured at Rocky Flats.
"Deer pens were also built in the early1960s at the CSU Foothills Campus. The experiments done at these pens were terminated by post-mortem examination of the deer and no deer with signs of CWD were observed.
"CWD was first recognized in the CDOW deer pens in theearly 1970s, but was not confirmed as a spongiformencephalopathy until 1979 by Dr. Beth Williams. Shortly after that, deer with CWD were discovered in the SybilleWildlife Research facilities in southeastern Wyoming.
"Some people believe that the disease may have originated in one of these research facilities because the deer in these facilities may have been exposed to domestic sheep with Scrapie, however, Scrapie was never observed in any of the sheep in these facilities. One theory is that deer spontaneously developed CWD in the wild and some of these infected deer were trapped and brought into captivity. Because of the close contact in the pens, the disease spread and became established. Another theory is that close contact with deer and domestic sheep in areas either in southeastern Wyoming or northeastern Colorado allowed Scrapie to cross the species barrier and infect deer.
"None of these theories have been proven and the search for the origin of this disease will probably be fruitless. CWD has spread to various states and the most likely method of spread is through movement of animals, both captive and wild. It will be extremely difficult to control this disease in the wild because of the potential of environmental contamination."
With all the controversy surrounding this guy those DNA tests will certainly be "interesting"!!!
Will look forward to reading your next article about it all!!!
As you correctly noted earlier in your comments, we can only test dead elk, so I believe they are only testing the elk they have already killed (12-15 animals, so far) and those they kill in the future. I also believe if they find CWD in even one animal, they will immediately kill all animals on the game farm. But, of course, some of the escaped elk may never be recovered and may join wild herds. If any of these elk have CWD, well, that's what they call the worse case scenario.
Bill
Meanwhile, with all of this going on, another shooter farm has been approved just out of Blackfoot ID owned by Rulon Jones, a former Denver Broncos defensive end. Go figure. I guess we have not learned our lesson.
So what it all boils down to is can a person believe anything that the man claims? My personal opinion is NOT.
Thanks
AmyV
*NONE of the killed, tested elk have been shown to have CWD
*The breeding stock CAME FROM the Yellowstone herds....so, how would they genetically foul the herds if they DID interbreed?
.....and, by the way---"genetically modified" generally refers to things like Dolly the sheep, and RoundUp ready soybeans from Monsanto....NOT selective breeding of livestock.
No, I don't particularly care for the concept of "canned hunts" myself; but this situation is being grossly mishandled. There are options other than shooting all the elk that got out. How about that part where Fish and Game shot a cow IN THE GATE of the catch pen Rammell had set up? Come on....this looks more and more like a governmental bid to put a particular guy out of business, for whatever reason. So what if the guy is a jerk? A lot of people are---just read the comments on this article.