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If we had the opportunity to help a human or an animal, why would not we do it? If we knew that the situation could easily get worse – in some cases even worse – why would not we do what we could now instead of waiting? These thoughts came to my mind when I read an article in a recent issue of the Portland Press Herald titled "A Warning Regarding Chronic Wasting of the Disease Fueling Fear of Hunting".
What caught my attention was the following quote from the Deer Biologist, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries, who stated that "his greatest concern about chronic debilitating disease is its impact on hunting, particularly in view of recent efforts by the State to recruit more hunters ". The record, the chronic debilitating disease is easily spread from deer to deer and ends up killing every infected animal. There is no treatment, no vaccine, no treatment. This extremely devastating disease is now present in 25 states and four Canadian provinces, most recently in Quebec, less than 100 miles from the Vermont border.
I would have thought that the main concern of the DIFW biologist would have been the suffering and death of animals susceptible to contracting MDC. Instead, as a paid employee of a public body whose income comes largely from the sale of hunting licenses, he is interested in the possible decrease in the number of hunters and as a result, the costs they pay to DIFW for the privilege. The article also quotes the biologist as saying: "To ensure that hunting license sales remain at least at current levels, DIFW recently hired a full-time officer to recruit more hunters Maine – a step taken for the first time. " would think that the money spent on "recruiting" new hunters would be better spent on research and prevention of MDC in hopes of finding a cure one day.
What are we doing in the meantime?
Of course, there is no way to prevent deer from entering Maine alone, but it is forbidden to transport carcbades into the state, although the MDIFW biologist offers no guarantee of effectiveness. Other precautions are more promising. we are stopping the use of lures or deer perfumes. Because the disease can be introduced into the soil and remain dormant for years before infecting a herd of deer, it is vital that lures and odors are no longer available in Maine. In fact, seven states, including Vermont and four Canadian provinces, prohibit the use of odorous lures, while many others recommend not using them.
Another concern is that deer feeding that may have been exposed to CWD can be as dangerous as a person with a highly contagious disease that exposes a group of his fellow humans to a risk for his health which is always fatal. DIFW on its website recently urged hunters not to feed deer or use lures or perfumes. The possibility of a deadly disease combined with its potential spread by contact with food or lures can produce a deadly result. A spokesman for DIFW said the ministry had started the process of developing rules to ban both practices, but that it would not be a rule of thumb. 39; emergency.
Why not, we ask? Would it not be more effective to solve this problem before it becomes an emergency? The DIFW Commissioner writes that "chronic wasting is the most serious threat to which our deer and moose populations are confronted in the modern era" and could "ravage the economy of the hunt and Maine wildlife. " to the animals themselves – a curious reversal of priorities for an agency whose mission statement begins by stating that it "protects and manages Maine's fish and wildlife and their habitats".
Preventing deer feeding may be inapplicable; and simply recommend that sweet deer lures are not used is a step that does not go far enough. Voluntary compliance to control this potential risk to the state's wildlife is not enough. He needs nothing less than the strength of the law.
Quote from the ministry's newsletter: "Without the intervention of hunters and national and provincial agencies responsible for fisheries and wildlife resources, CWD will continue to expand. If left unchecked, CWD will cause irreparable harm to deer herds all over New England, including Maine. "
Let's make this move – and with the deer firearms season already started plus a 28% increase in stag licenses – let's move on now.
Don Loprieno is a published Bristol author who has always been interested in history and education. He has served on the boards of the Maine Friends of Animals Society and the Boothbay Humane Society and is a long-time supporter of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston and the Humane Society of the County of Knox at Thomaston.
Don Loprieno
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