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Brucellosis Causation
10/02/2001
Despite all the claims that brucellosis from elk or bison has never spread
to cattle, it has. In 1992 in the federal court case entitled Parker Land
and Cattle Co, Inc .v. U.S., 796 F. Supp. 477 (D. Wyo,1992) the court heard
extensive expert testimony on the issue and expressly found that an outbreak
of brucellosis on a Wyoming cattle ranch “...was most likely caused by
contact with infected elk or bison.” Dr. Donald Bridgewater, the Western
Regional Epidemiologist of the Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service
of the US Department of Agriculture reported and testified that the
infection came from either infected elk or bison, the court decision states.
“At trial Dr. Bridgewater testified that he believed, with a reasonable
degree of medical certainty, that the Parker infection was caused by contact
with either elk or bison.” The court also held that the National Park
Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service have a duty to take an “active role
in eliminating the brucellosis problem in the elk and bison which are under
their control,” and could be held liable for money damages for failing to do
so. In that particular case, the judge did not find that the cattle were
proven to be infected by park elk as distinguished from elk and bison
roaming at large, but the court did find the federal agencies negligent for
not more actively eliminating the disease in park elk and bison under their
control. “The federal government does not have the discretion to do nothing
in the fight against a disease which it is perpetuating by its wildlife
management practices ....” Had the plaintiff proven that the disease came
from the park and refuge elk or bison rather than others they would have
been awarded money damages because they proved all other aspects of their
case. Conservation Force has no position on this issue, except to point out
the truth about the transmission of the disease.