4 10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 23, 2004 FRIDAY Focus "Generally TB doesn't affect the deer herd in a negative way - it affects the trading capability of the livestock industry." - Bridget Patrick Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Coordinator, Michigan Department of Community Health 4 From The Herd Above: Hunters gather around a buck pole in Brooklyn, Mich., on opening day as part of Knutson's 16th Annual Buck Pole Contest. Money is awarded to the owners of the heaviest buck and the largest rack. Above: Hunting enthusiasts wait for their turn at the scale during Knutson's Buck Pole Contest. There are 1.8 million wild deer in the state. The 800,000 hunters who annually try their hand at the Michigan deer herd typically harvest about 550,000 animals. Left: Severed deer heads line the cement floor of the Michigan State University/Michig an Department of Natural Resources Deer Head Facility In East Lansing. These specimens are awaiting a test for chronic wasting disease, a sickness similar to mad cow disease in cattle. The skinned head In the middle had its fur removed by a hunter, who used the fur for a taxidermy wall mount. 4 Michigan faces public health challenge with white-tailed deer Photo story by Seth Lower m Daily Photo Editor EAST LANSING home last November, the heads A s hunters transported their kills of their deer that were collected at highway check stations located throughout the state. In response to concerns over bovine tuberculosis and its effect on Michigan deer, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources asks hunters to voluntarily leave their deer heads at the checkpoints, especially if they hunt in the northeast part of the Lower Peninsula. The so-called core area of the bovine TB problem, centered in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda coun- ties, has been the focus of much political turmoil. Bovine tuberculosis, an infectious dis- ease found in white-tailed deer, elk, and domestic livestock, has been a problem since the 19th century when it was intro- duced by European cattle. According to DNR records, TB was the leading cause of death in humans in 1917. The outbreak was initially brought about by people drinking raw milk from infected cows. Before 1994 there were very few known cases of infected deer, but since then, nearly 500 deer heads have tested positive for bovine TB in Michigan. Last fall, 28 deer heads tested positive, most of which were collected in the core area of the state. Although other states have seen prob- lems with the disease in livestock, Michi- gan is the only place where wildlife have endemically contracted bovine TB. In an effort to understand and control the spread of the disease, then-Gov. John Engler enacted the Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Project in 1998. The project includes the help of experts from the Michigan departments of Agricul- ture, Community Health, and Natural Resources, as well as Michigan State Uni- versity and the U.S. Department of Agri- culture. From ihe highway check stations, deer lesions characteristic of bovine TB. If sus- picious samples are found, they are sent to the pathology lab at MSU for further test- ing. "The first concern is public health," said Bridget Patrick, a bovine TB eradication coordinator for the MDCH. "The second is the economic viability of both the live- stock industry and travel and tourism." Because of modern pasteurization and meat inspection laws, humans are not par- ticularly at risk for contracting the disease. But because livestock often share fence lines with wild deer, there is a high risk of cattle becoming infected by common feed- ing grounds. "It directly impacts the cattle industry and their ability to market livestock," Patrick added. Because the state has a presence of bovine TB, other states and countries may be hesitant to trade freely, or to participate in cattle breeding or show- ing. Public opinion is also a major concern when it comes to tourism; if hunters fear the disease, the economy of northern Michigan may suffer. There were nearly fifty thousand fewer hunters in the core area of the state this year. A study by the Michigan Travel, Tourism, and Recreation Center at MSU suggests that the affected parts of northern Michigan lose $25 million annually in hunting related income alone. In an effort to stop inter-animal contami- nation, the use of food or bait piles larger than two gallons has been banned through- out the state. Even farmers are required to remove hay and food piles from their fields. Scientists at Michigan State are also checking for chronic wasting disease, a disease similar in deer to mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed an exec- utive order last year that created a task force to monitor CWD among the wild deer population. Research indicates cannot be transmitted Left: A deer's teeth are checked for age while undergoing a test for bovine TB at the Deer Head Facility. Right: Julie Rose, a techni- cian for the DNR, weighs a lymph gland at the Deer Head Facility. The sampled gland must be a cer- tain weight to- undergo the ELISA test for chronic wasting disease. Below: Steven Schmitt, State Wildlife Veteri- narian for the state DNR, checks the lymph gland of a deer at the Deer Head Facility. "The first concern is public health." - Bridget Patrick Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Coordinator, Michigan Department of Community Health I .......... .........