Texas outfitters and hunters are on edge over a screwworm infestation there jumping to wildlife and devastating the state’s big game seasons.
Wyoming outfitters told Cowboy State Daily there’s no sign of the flesh-eating parasitic infection here yet, but if it does hit Wyoming, it could become a wildlife disaster.
At least five cases of New World screwworm infections have been confirmed in domestic animals in Texas and New Mexico.
The Wyoming livestock industry is on alert. Wyoming State Veterinarian Hallie Hasel said Wyoming ranchers and pet owners should treat the detection of the New World screwworm in Texas as "an immediate threat."
The infestation is spread by parasitic flies that lay eggs in open wounds or sometimes the nasal passages of warm-blooded animals. The eggs hatch into flesh-eating larvae.
In Texas, outfitters say clients have already started cancelling previously scheduled fall hunts over concerns about screwworms spreading to wildlife, Valley Central reported.
‘We Don’t Know Yet Whether To Be Scared’
Texas outdoorsman Barrett Liquori manages white-tailed deer herds on vast ranches. He told Cowboy State Daily that there’s been hype and fearful rumors about screwworms, but little reliable information.
“I really don’t know what to think about it at this point. There’s so many unknowns,” he said.
“We face drought, we face flooding and hard winters, all of which can kill deer. This is just one of those things. We don’t know yet whether to be scared of it,” Barrett Liquori added.
“I understand that back in the 1970s, the screwworm was a thing in Texas. And they beat it, at the cost of many lives; livestock, horses and deer,” he said.
For now, one of his biggest headaches is Texas’ huge and destructive feral hog population.
It would be “a good thing” if screwworms infested hogs and killed them, but it’s inevitable that the infestation would spread to other wildlife, he said.
‘It’s Going To Be Awful’
For now, screwworm doesn’t seem to be on the Wyoming outfitting and hunting community’s radar, said Dustin Stetter, of Dubois, president of the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association.
However, that could change if cases start cropping up here, he said.
“If it does get up here, it’s going to be awful,” Stetter told Cowboy State Daily.
He said he’s spoken about screwworms to a neighbor of his who is highly knowledgeable about the subject, and was given a stark picture.
“Any mammalian species can get it. If it gets into your wildlife, it doesn’t care,” Stetter said.
If, for instance, outfitters unwittingly took infested pack horses or mules deep into the backcountry, that could spark an infection in elk herds, he said.
But other big game species would probably be of top concern.
“The two most vulnerable herds in Wyoming are mule deer and bighorn sheep,” Stetter said.
Mule deer and bighorn are already struggling against disease outbreaks, habitat fragmentation and other stressors.
Screwworm would be “just one more thing” threatening them, Stetter said.
Even so, it’s best not to assume worst-case scenarios, he added.
“We've gotten alarmist regarding that sort of stuff (screwworm infestations) because of existing threats to our wildlife, he said.
Dead Within A Week
A female screwworm can fly more than 120 miles and lay more than 3,000 eggs in its short 20-day lifecycle.
The flesh-eating maggots the eggs produce can kill an infested animal in seven to 10 days.
It’s a gruesome affliction. However, the alarm bells aren’t going off in Wyoming yet, outfitter Lee Livingston of Park County told Cowboy State Daily.
In a text message he stated that he’s “not really” concerned at present.
“The reports I’m getting say it’s in Texas and New Mexico. If it does show up in Wyoming, then there would be cause for concern,” Livingston stated.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
