by John Jefferson
This week’s column might cast me as someone akin to a conspiracy theorist since this is the second week in a row that Woods, Waters, and Wildlife has focused on an animal affliction that is unknown to many readers.
But I remember well the screwworm siege of the ‘50s and ‘60s — the ghastly pictures of deer and cattle with half their faces eaten off — or an eye missing. The insidious screwworm flies lay eggs in any body entrance – open wounds like barb wire scrapes, tick bites, nasal and eye openings, and other bodily orifices. I even saw a steer once that had caught a yucca frond in its eye, causing blood flow. When screwworm eggs hatch, the maggots burrow into tissue by screwing their bodies into the flesh to feed. Hence, their name.
Some legislators joked about the flies’ name, but there was nothing funny about their destruction. Texas livestock industry and wildlife suffered damages estimated in the billion$ during the last screwworm invasion. Scientists finally developed infertile male flies that were unable to impregnate their mates, causing the flies to unknowingly copulate themselves out of existence.
That ended the fly-borne conflagration in 1966. I worked for TPWD at the time and remember its effect on livestock and deer, as well. Deer hunting is a much larger industry today, so damage figures could be much higher if a recurrence strikes.
Has the screwworm returned?
Well, not yet in Texas. But a cow in Chiapas, Mexico near the Guatemalan border was recently detected with maggots of the New World Screwworms (NWS). No source says these flies/maggots are any different from the earlier ones, except their name. When Mexico discovered it, they notified the U.S. Agriculture Dept., which closed the U.S./Mexico border, pending more information.
The screwworm is surviving in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and South America. But this time, science knows how to eliminate them … we think. The plant that raises the sterile male screwworm flies is located in Chiapas, near where the host cow was detected. It is operated by the joint Mexico-U.S. Commission for the Eradication of Screwworms.
Texas Agricultural Commissioner, Sid Miller, criticized closing the border closing as being premature, ill-advised, and economically threatening to livestock ranchers.
In a newspaper article that appeared in some Texas newspapers, he said, “Protecting Texas cattle from screwworms is important, but so is keeping beef prices affordable for families and securing the livelihood of our ranchers. Closing the border might sound like a quick fix, but it’s a cure that could end up being worse than the disease.”
Really?
Granted, only one affected cow has been detected. And Chiapas is a long distance from Texas cattle ranches. But flies have wings. And can cover miles at a time.
The Texas Animal Health Commission is keeping close watch. Ranchers and all Texans are urged to monitor for struggling livestock, wildlife, and pets. Reporting suspected incidents to a veterinarian is imperative.
Locking the barn after the horse is gone is too late.
JJ
(pictured at top): THIS PHOTO HAS NOTHING TO DO with the text. It’s an old image we resurrected as a New Year greeting. But the accompanying article shows that pets like these could be affected by screwworms. If you see any animal – domestic or wild – that is shaking its head, acting depressed, has no appetite, smells of decaying flesh, or has visible maggots in a wound, contact a veterinarian at once. (Photo by John and Vicky Jefferson)
