It is well accepted that when animals become concentrated in
numbers the likelihood of disease transmission increases.
Whether the concentration is caused by natural factors,
influenced by artificial elements, or is the product of
captivity, diseases and the intra- and inter-specific
transmission of disease can flourish under such
circumstances.
The
susceptibility of individual animals to one or more diseases is
a function of, among other things, environment, stress,
genetics, nutrition, and age. If an animal's immune system is
compromised as a result of the stress of captivity, poor or
inadequate nutrition, youthfulness or old age, the animal has a
greater chance of being affected by disease.
Animals concentrated in a captive environment like a
shooting preserve or game farm are more susceptible to a
variety of diseases than are animals who live under more
natural, wild conditions. That is not to say that wild animals
are disease-free, as there are an abundance of diseases that
afflict many wild and free-roaming species. Furthermore,
admittedly, animals in captivity can be more easily treated for
disease than animals in the wild. It is doubtful, however, that
those involved in the shooting preserve business provide any
level of veterinary care to their captive targets. Since the
killing of these animals is guaranteed, spending money on
veterinary care is not cost-effective and would adversely
affect profits. And because most of those who partake in canned
hunts do so for a trophy to mount on a wall, as long as a
disease does not affect the appearance of an animal, there
would be no incentive to address the problem.
As canned hunts have proliferated in many states, concerns
about disease have increased. Diseases such as tuberculosis,
brucellosis, and chronic wasting disease (which is similar to
bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease") have
been diagnosed in wild and captive wildlife. While some are
concerned about the health of individual animals held captive,
more are concerned about the potential impact of disease on
wild, free-roaming animals. The reality is that despite legal
standards requiring fencing of shooting preserves for big game
and exotic wildlife, captive wildlife can escape and,
if diseased, can become a vector for disease transmission to
wild animals. In addition, the interstate transport of animals
for breeding purposes increases the possibility of
spreading diseases.
For example, Montana game ranches were faced with the
occurrence of tuberculosis in 1991 when an elk on a game ranch
tested positive for the disease (27 other elk showed signs of
exposure). Wildlife officials worried the disease could infect
the neighboring Yellowstone free-roaming herd of elk.
Michigan has been battling an outbreak of tuberculosis in
deer for the past few years due to the preponderance of baiting
statewide. Scott Everett, legislative counsel of the Michigan
Farm Bureau, claims "deer baiting and feeding promotes the
congregation of animals in a small location. That allows for
the aerosol transmission of bovine TB.... TB is a disease
created by certain conditions: stress, crowding and
overpopulation. Baiting and feeding create these conditions."
As baiting and feeding are common practices on canned hunts,
the possibility of the spread of disease such as tuberculosis
increases.
The incubation period for CWD us unknown and may not
manifest symptoms until transmitted to the next generation.
Outbreaks have been reported in Colorado, Wyoming, South
Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Montana, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and
Kansas. Experts fear that CWD may reach crisis levels due to
its resistance to eradication. Recent outbreaks have been
linked to animals held in captivity by breeders, dealers,
auctions, and game farms.
Though disease is a natural element in nature and though
some diseases may have more serious consequences than others,
the introduction of a disease into a wild population as a
result of the escape of an animal from a fenced shooting
gallery poses an unacceptable risk to free-roaming wildlife. In
some cases, the disease introduced to a wild population from an
escaped captive exotic animal may be an unknown organism for
which native wildlife have no natural immunity.
The consequences of such a disease outbreak could be
substantial. V. Geist, speaking at the 54th North American
Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, stated that,
"Asiatic sheep and goats on western ranches for 'trophy
hunting' is a time bomb that will destroy bighorn sheep." And
the escape of captive wildlife-exotic or native-also poses a
threat to the genetic health and purity of wild, native
populations.
