Bovine Tuberculosis

Disease transmission in the Riding Mountain area

Wildlife from Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) and domestic livestock on surrounding lands has interacted for decades. In fact, cattle grazed inside the Park from the early 1900s until the late 1960s.

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) came to Canada during the time of European settlement and was common in livestock right up until the 1970s. Manitoba was given certified bovine TB free status in 1986 after marking five years without an infection. This status was downgraded this past year after more than one infected cattle herd was found in a 48-month period. The loss of bovine TB free status has a serious economic impact on local cattle producers.

Because the infections were isolated to the Riding Mountain area, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency split the province into two – the Riding Mountain Eradication Area and the rest of Manitoba – to avoid losing bovine TB free status across the entire province. The Riding Mountain Eradication Area consists of provincial game hunting units 23 and 23a.

All cattle in the Riding Mountain Eradication Area had to be tested for bovine TB and if any cattle tested positive the entire herd plus any other farm livestock were destroyed. As of July 2003, the number of TB affected herds in the Riding Mountain Eradication Area stood at 3 “infected” herds and 1 “exposed” herd.

Over the past winter, 116 elk from the western part of RMNP were captured, collared and given a blood test for bovine TB. Of those, 37 test results came back inconclusive or suspicious. Parks Canada then destroyed these elk and sent portions of the carcasses to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) lab in Nepean, Ontario, for culturing to confirm whether the elk were infected. The culturing process is lengthy, taking 3 to 4 months. The CFIA lab confirmed this past summer that 11 of the 37 elk had bovine TB.

Manitoba Conservation also conducted a TB sampling project outside the Park in the spring, which included 21 whitetail deer and one elk. None of the samples that were examined in the CFIA lab turned out to be positive for TB.

CPAWS response to Bovine TB

On June 17, 2003, CPAWS was invited to respond to the Bovine TB Management Program prepared by the Task Group on Bovine TB. The following is a summary of that presentation.

(The Task Group is a Federal/Provincial working committee that includes Manitoba Conservation, Manitoba Agriculture and Food, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Manitoba Cattle Producers Association and Manitoba Wildlife Federation participate in an advisory capacity.)

We appreciate that the cattle industry at large and local cattle producers in particular are being hit hard by events related to Bovine TB and BSE, both of which have had a critical impact on the local economy. The preservation of Riding Mountain National Park as a regional economic asset will become progressively more important in future years.

Ecological integrity must be the priority for all decisions regarding Canada’s national parks. Accordingly, decisions regarding the elk population in the Riding Mountain area need to rely on science. The killing of elk within the Park as a political reaction is not acceptable.

Elk population


CPAWS believes that an accurate count of the elk population needs to be established before culling decisions are made. We are also concerned by the lack of scientific evidence to support the idea that arbitrarily reducing the elk population to 2,500, as outlined in the bovine TB management plan, will have any long-term impact on the rate of the disease in the region.

While we support the long-term goals of the Task Group to achieve and maintain bovine TB free status in domestic cattle, we would question the goal of eradicating bovine TB in wildlife that may pose a risk to agriculture. As with TB in humans, a low level of bovine TB will always persist in the animal populations of North America.

Wildlife-livestock interactions

It is generally accepted that the disease should not be able to sustain itself in the Riding Mountain area at current populations. Instead, it is believed to persist as a result of the unintended effects of certain farming practices (more alfalfa bales and round bales, hay storage, intercept feeding) and hunting practices (illegal baiting and winter feeding).

CPAWS strongly supports efforts to minimize wildlife-livestock interactions and unnatural herding behaviour, and thereby disease transmission, through stricter regulations and aggressive enforcement to stop the baiting of elk and deer by hunters, and the prohibition on feeding of elk and deer on lands adjacent to RMNP. Baiting elk for the purpose of hunting is illegal in Manitoba, yet has been widespread on the boundary of Riding Mountain. Not only are the conditions for disease transmission enhanced by this practice, the behaviour and long-term health of the elk population is severely compromised. These dangers were raised by CPAWS early in 2001 and we commend Manitoba Conservation for taking action.

We also support the provision for fence materials to be supplied to landowners to construct barriers around hay yards or cattle feeding sites. Given the urgency of the situation and the perceived success of fencing in reducing contact and disease transmission, it is clear that additional funding is required to increase and complete fence construction as soon as possible. In addition to the fencing program, CPAWS supports adequate compensation for agricultural producers for economic losses as well as for the time and effort of the testing process.

Historical fire regime

Restoration of RMNP’s historical fire regime to provide natural forage areas that would encourage elk to feed within the Park, even in winter, is important. However, it is likely that elk have always left the Park during heavy snow winters and there will continue to be a need for structures and policy to separate elk and cattle outside the Park.

Research

CPAWS also strongly supports the various research studies taking place in the Riding Mountain area. We would emphasize the need to temper the decision to kill any additional animals within the Park until the results of those studies support or refute such action.

Parks Canada’s plans for winter 2003/04

In October, Parks Canada announced its planned activities for the coming winter regarding bovine TB in Riding Mountain area. This includes an increase in Parks Canada’s financial contribution for fencing of hay storage areas. Only a few producers within the first mile of the entire park boundary will not have an exclusion fence on their property.

Starting in November, Parks Canada began to work with Manitoba Conservation to increase the whitetail deer sample collection in hunting areas 23 and 23a. The goal is to collect a total of 300 quality deer samples from these two areas.

In early December, 50 of the 116 elk that were collared and tested negative last spring are to be recaptured and destroyed, and samples sent to the CFIA lab for culturing. The intent is to determine the effectiveness of the initial blood tests in finding TB positive animals (false negatives) and to determine if the blood test is missing animals that actually have the disease.

In mid-January, a total of 150 additional elk will be captured, tested and collared in the Park (50 from the western side and another 100 from the area east of Hwy 10). An additional blood test, for a total of 4 tests, will be done this year as part of cooperative research with the USDA regarding the development of new blood test protocols. Any animals whose blood test proves inconclusive or suspicious will be recaptured, destroyed and samples sent to the CFIA lab for culturing. Parks Canada’s position is that by combining the results of two years of testing, they will be able to determine the prevalence rate of bovine TB in elk in Riding Mountain National Park.

Beginning early February, an expanded elk population survey will be done. The survey will encompass the entire Park, with the intent to count all elk, moose and deer. Extended surveys for whitetail deer will also be conducted in several RMs defined by the Riding Mountain Eradication Area. This means an additional 3,000 km2 will be surveyed.

Warning of further reduction in elk population

The Task Group’s management plan for 2003-04 plan is not available yet but CPAWS is concerned that a review of the elk population strategy could mean a further reduction below the low end of the historical range of 2,500. We understand there is a possibility that this population objective, which has been considered the “floor,” is now up for review and could be reduced further. The historical range of elk in the area is 2,500 to 6,000.