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Fake cows ready for milking at US state fairs as bird flu threat looms
Monday, 02 Sep 2024
Attendees view cows that are shown by exhibitors at the state fair in West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S., August 9, 2024. Dairy farmers are taking precautions with testing for avian flu while exhibiting cattle during the fair. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska
NEW YORK: In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage.
State fair organisers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fibreglass cows complete with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for a popular milking demo.
The head of the Minnesota State Fair’s Moo Booth came up with a similar workaround for its hands-on milking event: a fake dairy cow named Olympia.
“Normally, we’d have a real cow out there,” said Jill Nathe, the fair’s deputy general manager of agriculture and competition. “We just can’t do that right now.”
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Changing traditions
As avian influenza continues to spread, infecting cattle herds for the first time this year as well as four dairy workers, US state and county fair organisers have been forced to reimagine nostalgic summer traditions long celebrated by city and rural folk alike.
For farmers and students eager for blue ribbons and bragging rights, the outbreak has forced them to navigate new testing rules and manage logistical headaches in order to obtain a clean bill of health for animals before entering the show ring.
AmBank’s SME Amplify continues to give local businesses a boost
State and local officials say they are trying to protect people and animals from the H5N1 virus as some dairy farmers have declined to test their herds.
Experts worry that further transmission of the virus could help it adapt to spread between humans.
The risk of viral spread among herds prompted some county fairs in Michigan to cancel dairy shows, while the Iowa State Fair shuttered its milking barn.
In Minnesota, state fair staff procured extra gloves and face shields from Covid-era stockpiles for the livestock crew, and kept pregnant dairy cows out of the fair’s birthing centre.
Several farm states, including Wisconsin, required lactating cattle to test negative within seven days of arriving at the fairgrounds.
Wisconsin dairy farmer Rick “R.T.” Thompson said he had to carefully time visits from his veterinarian, so the milk test results for H5N1 would fall within the required window for different fairs.
His vet’s wife personally drove samples to a state lab in Madison to ensure they arrived on time for testing.
“It’s not a convenient thing,” said Thompson, 57, who has attended Wisconsin’s state fair for 46 years.
Michigan banned lactating cows from all public exhibitions until the state goes two months without finding an infected herd. With only one state fair per year, the chance has passed for 2024. Michigan last reported a case on Monday.
“We were all waiting for that 60-day window,” Michigan State Fair livestock director L.C. Scramlin said. “But we kept having another case and another one happen.”
Cows stay home
At the Wisconsin State Fair, where visitors can buy everything from cream puffs to hot tubs, veterinarians inspected cattle before they stepped off their trailers to make sure the animals were healthy upon arrival – a departure from previous years, exhibitors said.
The risk of bird flu was enough to convince Jennifer and Bethany Droessler to keep a lactating cow at home.
The sisters from Cuba City, Wisconsin, instead hauled other cattle to show at the event’s Dairy Lane, where fairgoers petted and took selfies with animals topping the scales at more than 454kg.
“We’ll aim for next year and hopefully it won’t be an issue,” said Jennifer Droessler, 30.
Low risk for general public
More than 190 dairy herds nationwide have been infected since March, and 13 farm workers tested positive following exposure to cows and poultry.
The workers all recovered, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said H5N1 remains a low risk for the general public.
Still, the CDC is advising people not to eat, drink or touch anything in animal areas at fairs.
Several fairgoers in Wisconsin, the country’s No. 2 milk-producer and top cheese-making state, said they were not aware of, or concerned about, the guidelines.
Visitors chomped on treats including taffy apples and cheese curds as they strolled between cows chewing their cud.
“I don’t think it’s a big risk,” said O.E. Glieber of Delafield, Wisconsin, 88, who came to the fair with grandchildren. “The CDC overreacts with a lot of stuff.” — Reuters
- Corporate News
- Monday, 02 Sep 2024
Attendees view cows that are shown by exhibitors at the state fair in West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S., August 9, 2024. Dairy farmers are taking precautions with testing for avian flu while exhibiting cattle during the fair. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska
NEW YORK: In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage.
State fair organisers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fibreglass cows complete with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for a popular milking demo.
The head of the Minnesota State Fair’s Moo Booth came up with a similar workaround for its hands-on milking event: a fake dairy cow named Olympia.
“Normally, we’d have a real cow out there,” said Jill Nathe, the fair’s deputy general manager of agriculture and competition. “We just can’t do that right now.”
Changing traditions
As avian influenza continues to spread, infecting cattle herds for the first time this year as well as four dairy workers, US state and county fair organisers have been forced to reimagine nostalgic summer traditions long celebrated by city and rural folk alike.
For farmers and students eager for blue ribbons and bragging rights, the outbreak has forced them to navigate new testing rules and manage logistical headaches in order to obtain a clean bill of health for animals before entering the show ring.
AmBank’s SME Amplify continues to give local businesses a boost
State and local officials say they are trying to protect people and animals from the H5N1 virus as some dairy farmers have declined to test their herds.
Experts worry that further transmission of the virus could help it adapt to spread between humans.
The risk of viral spread among herds prompted some county fairs in Michigan to cancel dairy shows, while the Iowa State Fair shuttered its milking barn.
In Minnesota, state fair staff procured extra gloves and face shields from Covid-era stockpiles for the livestock crew, and kept pregnant dairy cows out of the fair’s birthing centre.
Several farm states, including Wisconsin, required lactating cattle to test negative within seven days of arriving at the fairgrounds.
Wisconsin dairy farmer Rick “R.T.” Thompson said he had to carefully time visits from his veterinarian, so the milk test results for H5N1 would fall within the required window for different fairs.
His vet’s wife personally drove samples to a state lab in Madison to ensure they arrived on time for testing.
“It’s not a convenient thing,” said Thompson, 57, who has attended Wisconsin’s state fair for 46 years.
Michigan banned lactating cows from all public exhibitions until the state goes two months without finding an infected herd. With only one state fair per year, the chance has passed for 2024. Michigan last reported a case on Monday.
“We were all waiting for that 60-day window,” Michigan State Fair livestock director L.C. Scramlin said. “But we kept having another case and another one happen.”
Cows stay home
At the Wisconsin State Fair, where visitors can buy everything from cream puffs to hot tubs, veterinarians inspected cattle before they stepped off their trailers to make sure the animals were healthy upon arrival – a departure from previous years, exhibitors said.
The risk of bird flu was enough to convince Jennifer and Bethany Droessler to keep a lactating cow at home.
The sisters from Cuba City, Wisconsin, instead hauled other cattle to show at the event’s Dairy Lane, where fairgoers petted and took selfies with animals topping the scales at more than 454kg.
“We’ll aim for next year and hopefully it won’t be an issue,” said Jennifer Droessler, 30.
Low risk for general public
More than 190 dairy herds nationwide have been infected since March, and 13 farm workers tested positive following exposure to cows and poultry.
The workers all recovered, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said H5N1 remains a low risk for the general public.
Still, the CDC is advising people not to eat, drink or touch anything in animal areas at fairs.
Several fairgoers in Wisconsin, the country’s No. 2 milk-producer and top cheese-making state, said they were not aware of, or concerned about, the guidelines.
Visitors chomped on treats including taffy apples and cheese curds as they strolled between cows chewing their cud.
“I don’t think it’s a big risk,” said O.E. Glieber of Delafield, Wisconsin, 88, who came to the fair with grandchildren. “The CDC overreacts with a lot of stuff.” — Reuters
Dead chickens fuel bird flu fear in Odisha’s Kendrapara
Additional district veterinary officer Dr Mrutyunjay Mohanty said there is no reason to panic as the Veterinary department has not detected any H5N1-affected chicken in the area.
Representative Image
Updated on:
01 Sep 2024, 8:30 pm
2 min read
- https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2024/Sep/02/dead-chickens-fuel-bird-flu-fear-in-odishas-kendrapara
KENDRAPARA: Around 200 chickens of a few poultry farms at Narsinghpur village in Derabish block have died in the last two days fuelling fears of bird flu.
“Several chickens died unnaturally on Saturday and Sunday in some poultry farms. While the carcasses were dumped in a canal nearby, we rushed to the spot and buried them,” said additional district veterinary officer (disease control), Kendrapada Dr Mrutyunjay Mohanty.
The 2 km radius of the area where the chicken died is under surveillance. The officials have also taken precautionary steps to detect any sick chickens. People of the affected areas have been instructed not to handle the dead chickens without gloves. They were also instructed to bury the dead chickens by digging deep holes.
Mohanty said there is no reason to panic as the Veterinary department has not detected any H5N1-affected chicken in the area. “To protect the birds from Ranikhet disease and bird flu, we have vaccinated a large number of chickens recently. We have also requested farmers rearing poultry birds to utilise the opportunity and approach the nearest veterinary dispensaries to get the birds vaccinated to prevent the viral disease,” he said.
The department has collected samples of blood, stool, tracheal and cloacal of some birds and dead chickens at Narasinghpur and sent them to Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI), Cuttack for testing. Several poultry farm owners have been trained to detect any sick birds in their farms. “We have also advised poultry farmers to take bio-security measures like using aerial disinfectant sprays and administering mandatory vaccines to the birds periodically,” added Dr Mohanty.
He informed nine rapid response teams (RRT) have been formed in all blocks of the district. At least 29 veterinary assistant surgeons, livestock inspectors, ZP members and social workers are members of each RRT.
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One of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves wandered into Rocky Mountain National Park
by Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post
https://phys.org/news/2024-08-colorado-reintroduced-wolves-rocky-mountain.html
One of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves wandered into Rocky Mountain National Park this month, marking the first time one has been present in the park since the state released wolves in December.
A collared “spent some time” inside the park in August, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s monthly update on wolf locations Wednesday.
The map released Wednesday shows a wolf traveling in watersheds near U.S. 34 in the northwestern corner of the national park. The highway—called Trail Ridge Road inside the park—spans the park from east to west and crosses the high alpine terrain of the Continental Divide.
Rocky Mountain National Park officials expected reintroduced wolves would eventually move into the park, where they previously had been a native species.
At least one wolf also traveled in a watershed along Colorado 14 in the Poudre Canyon south of Red Feather Lakes. All of the state’s known wolves remain north of Interstate 70, CPW officials said.
Eleven adult wolves are known to live in Colorado: nine released in December as part of the state’s voter-mandated reintroduction program and two remaining from a pack that formed after wolves naturally migrated from Wyoming. The state released 10 wolves in December, but one died this spring, likely killed by a mountain lion.
Two of the reintroduced wolves bred and this spring produced at least three pups, but state wildlife officials on Tuesday announced they would capture and relocate the pack following a string of livestock depredations.
It’s unclear where the pack—called the Copper Creek pack—will be moved and whether those wolves will be released into the wild or kept at a sanctuary.
2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Colorado’s new wolf pack—including pups—to be captured and relocated after attacks on livestock
Why is Namibia culling elephants and hippos for meat?
The country is facing its worst drought in decades and people are going hungry, officials say.
By Shola Lawal
Published On 30 Aug 202430 Aug 2024
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/30/why-is-namibia-culling-elephants-and-hippos-for-meat
More than 700 wild animals, including hippos and elephants, are being culled in Namibia’s game parks to provide meat for the country’s hungry, the government has said, as the arid Southern African region battles its worst drought in 100 years.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation in the country as a “humanitarian crisis we’ve never spoken much of” at a media conference on Friday.
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About 84 percent of the country’s food reserves have been exhausted as a result of the drought, the UN said, with nearly half of the 2.5 million population expected to experience high levels of food insecurity during the lean season from July to September.
“This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,” a statement on Monday from the country’s environment ministry read.
Here’s what you need to know about the cull-for-meat plan.
Why is there a drought and what are the effects?
Southern Africa is recording its most severe drought in decades, beginning from October 2023.
Rising temperatures in the region have resulted in low rainfall. In February, when the rainy season would normally peak, the region received less than 20 percent of needed rainfall, according to scientists.
While the region is drought-prone, experts say the El Nino weather phenomenon which typically causes higher global temperatures, combined with human-caused climate change, is driving the current worse than usual dry spell. Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have declared drought emergencies.
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Like its neighbours, Namibia is dependent on agriculture and livestock which need rain to flourish. However, it has recorded several droughts in recent years, affecting food production. Authorities declared drought emergencies three times between 2013 and 2019.
The UN said the current drought is contributing to cases of acute malnutrition – and in some cases, death – in children under five.
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The drought also increases the risks of violence against women and girls, the UN said. Women and girls who usually fetch water for their families are having to travel longer distances, making them more vulnerable to assault.
Authorities say diseases like cholera are also spreading.
In addition, the Namibian environment ministry says drier than normal conditions are exacerbating human-wildlife conflict as man and beast compete for water and land resources.
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Namibia, like its neighbours, has significant numbers of wildlife, including 24,000 elephants, one of the largest populations in the world.
Which animals will be killed and where?
Professional hunters and safari operators are being contracted to kill a total of 723 animals, according to authorities.
The animals identified for culling include 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 Zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands (antelopes).
Already, 56,875 kg of meat from 157 wild animals has been sourced for the government relief programme, according to the government statement. It is not clear which animals have been culled so far and over what period.
The culls are taking place in parks and communal areas that authorities believe have “sustainable game numbers” – that is, where the culling will not adversely affect the animal population, and where the animals may already exceed available water and grazing resources.
Elephants are also being specifically targeted in areas which have become prone to human-wildlife conflict.
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Parks in which culling is being carried out include Namib-Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara National Park.
What issues has Namibia faced with wildlife in the past?
In 2023, Namibian authorities resolved to reduce elephant numbers because of rising cases of human-wildlife conflict in the country. The culling program, authorities said on Friday, would help achieve that goal, in addition to providing food.
Countries across Southern Africa say they are struggling with rising elephant numbers.
Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe account for more than half of the African bush elephant population. Governments there say the numbers have rapidly increased since the 1990s and now they face an “overpopulation” problem. However, critics say those claims are exaggerated.
While elephants are a popular attraction on safaris, communities living close to them say they are increasingly bearing the brunt of their tempers. Dwindling animal habitat space as a result of human encroachment, as well as lower water and food resources, force more people into contact with the animals.
Without intervention amid the current crisis, conflicts between elephants and humans are expected to worsen, Namibian officials said.
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All five of the countries with the most elephants allow trophy hunting to offset their numbers and generate income. Some have also tried to sell off their elephants to private entities. However, those actions have often attracted widespread criticism from animal rights organisations and Western governments.
In a controversial auction in 2021, Namibia tried to sell off 170 elephants but only a third were bought. Officials blamed the failure on a backlash from animal welfare groups.
Last year, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany, after authorities there mulled policies to restrict trophies from crossing its borders because of poaching concerns. Botswana hosts about 130,000 bush elephants, the world’s largest population.
