Fifteen more elk positive for brucellosis
by Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!
January 31, 2008
Wednesday's trapping effort at the Muddy Creek elk feedground resulted in 199 elk in the trap, with 113 elk tested for brucellosis. The total number of elk testing positive for the disease was 15. Eleven of the 15 were shipped to Idaho for slaughter Thursday, but the remaining four animals were some of the 42 that had managed to break open a gate and escape the trap.
Chris Colligan of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said late Thursday that his agency hasn't decided whether it will conduct any more trapping operations this winter, so the fate of the four seropositive elk roaming the feedground hasn't been determined.
It's been a busy week for WG&F personnel, trapping and processing nearly 500 elk at the Muddy Creek and Fall Creek elk feedground. With blood samples drawn from 297 animals, a total of 35 tested seropositive for the disease, and nine elk died due to goring, trampling, injuries or trap-related stress. This is the third year of the five-year test-and-removal pilot project aimed at reducing the brucellosis rate in the Pinedale Elk Herd.
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