Re-Introduced Wolfs Carry Human Life Threatening Disease

[liontracker]

Bulletin Number 36 Dec. 2009

Two-Thirds of Idaho Wolf Carcasses Examined Have Thousands of Hydatid Disease Tapeworms
By George Dovel

Hydatid cysts infect lungs, liver, and other internal organs of big Hydatid cysts infecting moose or caribou lungs. Photo courtesy of NW
game animals. Michigan DNR Wildlife Disease Lab photo. Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources.


My first Outdoorsman article on hydatid disease caused by the tiny Echinococcosis granulosus tapeworm was published nearly 40 years ago. Back then we had many readers in Alaska and northern Canada where the cysts were present in moose and caribou and my article included statistics on the number of reported human deaths from these cysts over a 50-year period, and the decline in deaths once outdoorsmen learned what precautions were necessary to prevent humans from being infected.
In Alaska alone, over 300 cases of hydatid disease in humans had been reported since 1950 as a result of canids (dog family), primarily wolves, contaminating the landscape with billions of E. granulosus eggs in their feces (called “scat” by biologists). These invisible eggs are ingested by grazing animals, both wild and domestic, and occasionally by humans who release clouds of the eggs into the air by kicking the scat or picking it up to see what the wolf had been eating.
As with many other parasites, the eggs are very hardy and reportedly exist in extremes of weather for long periods, virtually blanketing patches of habitat where some are swallowed or inhaled. As Dr. Valerius Geist explained in his Feb-Mar 2006 Outdoorsman article entitled Information for Outdoorsmen in Areas Where Wolves Have Become Common, “(once they are ingested by animals or humans) the larvae move into major capillary beds – liver, lung, brain – where they develop into large cysts full of tiny tapeworm heads.”
He continued, “These cysts can kill infected persons unless they are diagnosed and removed surgically. It consequently behooves us (a) to insure that this disease does not become widespread, and (b) that hunters and other outdoorsmen know that wolf scats and coyote scats should never be touched or kicked.”
Dr. Geist’s article also warned, “If we generate dense wolf populations it is inevitable that such lethal diseases as Hydatid disease become established.” Because wolves and other canines perpetuate the disease by eating the organs of animals containing the cysts, and the tapeworms live and lay millions of eggs in their lower intestines, the logical way to insure the disease did not develop was not to import Canadian wolves that were already infected with the parasites.
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Hydatid Disease – continued from page 1
Despite Warnings From Experts. FWS and IDFG Ignored Diseases, Parasites Spread by Wolves
This was common knowledge among wildlife biologists in northern Canada and in Alaska where FWS biologist Ed Bangs was stationed prior to being assigned to head the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Team. Yet in the July 1993 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) provided to the public, Bangs chose not to evaluate the impact of wolf recovery on diseases and parasites (1993 DEIS page 1-17).
This alarmed a number of experts on pathogens and parasites, including Will Graves who began his career working to eradicate foot and mouth disease in Mexico. As an interpreter who conducted research of Russian wolf impacts on wildlife, livestock and humans for several decades, Graves provided Bangs with information that wolves in Russia carry 50 types of worms and parasites, including Echinococcosis and others with various degrees of danger to both animals and humans.
In his Oct. 3, 1993 written testimony to Bangs, Graves also cited the results of a 10-year Russian control study in which failure to kill almost all of the wolves by each spring resulted in up to 100% parasite infection rate of moose and wild boar with an infection incidence of up to 30-40 per animal. This compared to a 31% infection rate with an incidence of only 3-5 per animal where wolves were nearly eliminated each winter.
Graves’ letter emphasized that despite the existence of foxes, raccoons and domestic dogs, wolves were always the basic source of parasite infections in moose and boar. He also emphasized the toll this would take on livestock producers and, along with other expert respondents, requested a detailed study on the potential impact wolves would have in regard to carrying, harboring and spreading disease.
In the final 414-page Gray Wolf EIS (FEIS) dated April 14, 1994, only a third of a page addresses “Diseases and Parasites to and from Wolves” (Chapter 5 Page 55). It states: “Most respondents who commented on this issue expressed concern about diseases and parasites introduced wolves could transfer to other animals in recovery areas.”
Bangs’ response states, “Wolves will be given vaccinations when they are handled to reduce the chances of them catching diseases from coyotes and other canids. Then Bangs stated, “Wolves will not significantly increase the transmission of rabies and other diseases,” yet offered nothing to substantiate his false claim.
FWS Implies Graves’ Facts are Only His Opinion
In “Appendices” Page 59, Bangs included a letter from FWS NRM Wolf Recovery Coordinator Steve Fritts to a Russian biology professor (also a member of the IUCN Wolf Specialist Group) asking him whether he thought the information in Mr. Graves’ letter is correct. On Page 60, that professor and another “IUCN Wolf Specialist” responded that Graves’ information “represents the opinion of only one side in (a) long and highly speculative discussion of (the) wolf role in Russia.”
The two Russian wolf advocates failed to refute anything in Will Graves’ testimony yet the inference that his research was speculative rather than factual was apparently the only excuse Bangs used for his failure to heed Graves’ warnings. A dozen years earlier Bangs was the lead author of a Kenai Peninsula research report in which he similarly denied the impact of wolf predation on Alaska moose populations.
As Dr. Geist has pointed out, the existence of hydatid disease (and other unique parasites and diseases in wild mammals and fish that some of us are not used to) is a fact of life that you learn to live with in the north country – or in many other places you choose to live or visit. The wildlife management agencies in Alaska and many of the Canadian provinces provide field guides explaining how to protect yourself and your animals from unique wildlife diseases and parasites you may encounter.
But although Idaho has the most wilderness in the lower 48 states, it has 15 times as many people per square mile as Alaska, countless more pets and domestic animals and 150 times as many cattle. Any of these creatures found in areas where wolves traveled at some time of the year are at risk of becoming infected with the cysts – or if dogs – becoming carriers of the worms and distributors of the eggs which infect other animals and humans with hydatid disease.
The highly touted testing of blood and fecal samples from live-trapped deer, elk, etc. does not reveal the existence of hydatid cysts, yet that was the only reported testing performed for 10-1/2 years after the first wolves were released in central Idaho and Yellowstone Park. In a January 2005 Outdoorsman article, I provided a photo of hydatid cysts in moose lungs, described the disease, and suggested legislators would benefit from the type of information provided by Alaska and Canada.
IDFG Officially Discovered Hydatid Disease in 2005-06
In mid 2005, state wildlife health officials in Idaho began conducting necropcies (post mortem examinations) of many wildlife species. As in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, they found a number of the primary big game species they tested were infected with hydatid cysts – but only the Great Lakes wildlife agencies reported that fact to the public.
As a matter of fact, by the time Dr. Geist’s warning about hydatid cysts appeared in the Feb-Mar 2006 Outdoorsman, I also published Minnesota’s finding that wolves were infecting livestock pastures and moose habitat with Neospora caninum, the parasite that causes abortions in cattle and moose and other members of the deer family. The upper left photo of hydatid cysts on the first page of this article was copied from information provided to its citizens by the Michigan DNR.


Dec. 2009 THE OUTDOORSMAN Page 3


It is reasonable to assume that Michigan DNR’s publication of warnings to use protective gear when handling wolf scat and wolf carcasses and not let your dog eat internal organs from deer, moose, etc. may have saved a significant number of hunters and/or their children from becoming infected with hydatid disease.
It is also reasonable to assume that Idaho Fish and Game’s failure to publish similar warnings during the four hunting seasons that have come and gone since the disease was officially discovered in Idaho may have allowed a significant number of Idaho hunters and/or their children to become infected with hydatid disease.
On December 13, 2009 in Idaho Hunting Today and other Black Bear Blog websites, Tom Remington first revealed the results of the Washington laboratory checking Idaho and Montana wolf intestines for E. granulosus tapeworms. Mr. Remington was probably not aware of the 10-page September 2006 IDFG Wildlife Health Laboratory (WHL) Report which included only the following sentence about IDFG’s discovery of hydatid disease in mule deer, elk and a mountain goat during necropsy (post mortem) examinations of various species:

“In addition, 1 mountain goat and several mule deer and elk were found to have hydatid cysts in the lungs (Echinococcus granulosa), likely with wolves as the definitive host of this previously unrecognized parasite in the state.”

The report states: “Wolf necropsies indicated the presence of lice,” but makes no mention of finding E. granulosus eggs in the wolf feces or adult worms in the wolf intestines. It also mentions examining fecal samples from 10 live wolves that were captured but again there is no mention of the existence of the eggs which resulted in the deer, elk and a goat being infected with hydatid disease.
The report, published by IDFG Director Steve Huffaker, was signed by IDFG Veterinarians Mark Drew and Phil Mamer and approved by IDFG Wildlife Program Coordinator Dale Toweill and IDFG Wildlife Bureau Chief (now Deputy Director) Jim Unsworth.
Yet the September 2007 WHL Report published by new IDFG Director Cal Groen and signed by the same four IDFG officials states:

“Wolf necropsies indicated the continued presence of lice (Trichodectes canis) and tape worm (Echinococcus), previously detected last year in Idaho. Wolves are most likely the definitive host of this previously unrecognized parasite in the state”. (emphasis added)

In other words this 2007 Report admitted the worms were discovered in wolves in 2005-2006 but failed to mention the hydatid cysts that were also discovered in mule deer, elk and the mountain goat. The 2008 IDFG WHL Report contained exactly the same sentence about tapeworms in wolves as the 2007 report but again failed to mention the diseased deer and elk.
To most of us the announcement of one more tapeworm found in a canine, especially a tiny one whose name we can neither pronounce nor remember, hardly merits a second glance. But when that worm is a new biotype that has never been reported south of the U.S-Canadian border, is already infecting deer and elk with a disease known to range from benign to debilitating to occasionally fatal in humans, and is obviously being spread by wolves across thousands of square miles, that would raise red flags of concern in most intelligent people.
Most legislators and F&G Commissioners who received a copy of the September 2006 WHL Report that actually mentioned the hydatid cysts being found in deer and elk, did not find the word “disease” and had no clue what the presence of the cysts implied. It was the F&G Department’s responsibility to explain the parasite’s life cycle and provide the public with precautions that should be taken when skinning or handling wolves or their pelts.


I regularly receive emails with photos like this from successful wolf hunters in Idaho who are “hugging” (posing with) the animals without wearing disposable gloves and face masks to prevent the threat of infection from touching the pelt with bare hands.
continued on page 4

Page 4 THE OUTDOORSMAN Dec. 2009


Hydatid Disease – continued from page 3
Funding of the activities reported in the WHL Annual Reports discussed earlier is part hunter and fisherman license funds and part P-R and D-J federal excise taxes paid by those same hunters and fishermen. The projects are approved and the federal funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – the same agency that shares responsibility with IDFG for introducing the non-native wolves and their non-native parasites and diseases.
If Fish and Game officials had told the media, Idaho citizens and their legislators the truth about the spread of hydatid disease by excessive numbers of wolves when they first knew of its existence, the public outcry would almost certainly have prevented managing for up to five times as many wolves as was agreed upon.
In 2008 when IDFG Director Groen and Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Gary Power informed the Legislature of their intention not to reduce the number of wolves in Idaho, both had known about the rapid spread of E. granulosis in wolves and the resulting spread of hydatid disease in elk and deer for several years. In fact, in August of 2006, IDFG Veterinarian Mark Drew made a presentation to the Wildlife Disease Association Annual Meeting at the University of Connecticut titled “Possible introduction of parasites with wolves in Idaho.”
ID, MT F&G Ignored Responsibility to Warn Public
Instead of fulfilling their responsibility to see that hunters and ranchers in Idaho and Montana received instruction on how to protect themselves from becoming infected, from 2006-2008 Drew and two of his counterparts from Montana participated in the evaluation of the lower intestines of 123 more wolves from Idaho and Montana. This is the study reported by Tom Remington on Dec. 13, 2009, in which 62% of Idaho wolves and 63% of Montana wolves contained E. granulosis tapeworms, and 71% of all the wolves tested contained Taenia sp, also predicted by Will Graves.
The study report says: “The detection of thousands of tapeworms per wolf was a common finding,” and also said: “Based on our results, the parasite is now well established in wolves in these states and is documented in elk, mule deer, and a mountain goat as intermediate hosts.” Of the wolves that contained E. granulosis, more than half contained more than 1,000 worms per wolf.
To put that in perspective, if each tapeworm can produce up to 1,000 eggs every 10 days for two years as is reported, 1,000 wolves with 1,000 tapeworms each are capable of spreading up to 73 billion eggs over the landscape in two years! The study provided a map of wolf locations indicating that areas with the highest known wolf density also have the highest percent of infected wolves (exactly as predicted by Dr. Geist).
The study reported that the prevalence of E. granulosis tapeworms in wolves in Canada, Alaska and Minnesota varied from 14% to 72% and said the 63% rate found in Idaho and Montana was comparable. But if one subtracts the strip across southern Idaho where few wolves exist and only two that were tested had the parasite, the prevalence of tapeworms in the areas with higher wolf densities was almost 90 percent!
During the past 20 years, medical case histories suggest that the course of the northern (sylvatic) strain of Hydatid Disease where wolves infect wild cervids (deer, elk, moose, etc.) is normally less severe on most humans than the domestic (pastoral) strain where dogs infect domestic sheep and other ruminants. The authors of the wolf parasite study used this information to try to downplay the potential impact of hydatid disease transmitted by wolves to humans in Idaho and Montana.
They also included the following statement to create the false impression that there is limited chance of Idaho and Montana residents becoming infected: “Most human cases of hydatid disease have been detected in indigenous peoples who hunt wild cervids or are reindeer herders with dogs.” At least part of that statement is accurate because most of the people who live in isolated areas and are more exposed are either Indians or Eskimos.
But they neglect to mention that several hundred thousand people in Idaho and Montana also hunt wild cervids and thousands more work or recreate where wolves have contaminated the land and drinking water with the parasite eggs. Unless the cysts are formed in the brain, heart, spleen or kidneys, infected people may carry them undetected for years, while they slowly grow larger until they eventually create severe problems or death.
Because the death of most people from so-called natural causes is attributed to heart failure, etc., without an autopsy being performed, the actual number of deaths resulting from hydatid disease remains a matter of speculation. Case histories reveal that detection of hydatid disease in living humans often occurs as a result of a CT Scan or Ultrasound performed for another reason.
Dr. Geist’s reply to the lack of concern expressed for humans who will become infected was, “It’s nothing to fool around with. Getting an Echinococcus cyst of any kind is no laughing matter as it can grow not only on the liver or the lungs, but also in the brain. And then it’s fatal.”
He also asked if another parasite, E, multilocularis, found in Alberta wolves, also exists in the transplanted wolves in Idaho and Montana. “(It‘s) much more virulent than Echinococcus granulosus of any strain, we cannot encapsulate this cyst, and it grows and buds off like a cancer infecting different parts of the body incessantly.”
(NOTE: Three separate studies conducted over a 10-year period in Minnesota concluded that 87% of moose mortality is related to parasites and infectious diseases. The insanity of pretending to restore “healthy” ecosystems by allowing uncontrolled large carnivores to spread parasites and diseases is becoming painfully obvious – ED)


Dec 2009 THE OUTDOORSMAN Page 5

Who Controls Your State’s Fish and Game Management Agency?
By George Dovel


(NOTE: A few days before the last Outdoorsman issue was printed and mailed, I received an email from an Idaho outfitter asking several reasonable questions that, in my opinion, deserve answers. Although I received permission to print the entire letter, I have deleted part of the greeting, the final paragraph and the signature to help prevent identification by state or federal agencies that regulate outfitter operations. – ED)

Mr. Dovel:
We had a good hunting season. Unfortunately for the ranchers in my area, their calf survival and cow survival was not good.
Instead of finding dead cow elk in the mountains I found numerous cattle carcasses surrounded by wolf tracks. And on a daily basis the cattle in the area would not graze but would bunch in groups by the gate and just bawl. Most of the cows didn't have calves with them as well. How sad!
Since you know about the Fish and Game so much I wanted to ask you a few things. Who or What in Idaho controls the Fish and Game?
I get a little confused when we have an Idaho law from 2002 that states Idaho accepts approximately 150 wolves and then Mr. Groen comes out and says 500 to 750 wolves are what we want. Since I thought that the state of Idaho owns the wildlife and Fish and Game manage the wildlife doesn't that mean someone in office tells the fish and game what to do?
So, who in office told the Fish and Game to ignore the 2002 law and say we want 500 to 750 wolves now in Idaho? Or am I missing something? Or are the Fish and Game a rogue unity in Idaho and they do as they please?
If there is someone in office who tells the Fish and Game to ignore Idaho Law shouldn't that someone be held accountable for his or her actions? Just how deep does the cover up go?

Name on file

Who Wrote The 2008 IDFG Wolf Plan?
In his May 14, 2008 Declaration “Under Penalty of Perjury” to the U.S. District Court in Montana, IDFG Large Carnivore Coordinator Steve Nadeau wrote. “I was the primary author of the IDFG Wolf Population Management Plan (2008)” (also stated in the Plan page iv)
Who Approved the Increased Wolf Populations?
In his Declaration to Judge Molloy’s Court Nadeau also wrote, “IDFG’s target wolf population of 518-732 wolves is five to seven times higher than the recovery levels established by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The determination to maintain a higher number of wolves than required by FWS was a discretionary decision by IDFG.” (emphasis added)
In other words, this change in both Idaho Wildlife Policy and Idaho Wolf Policy was made by the Idaho Fish & Game Director and approved by the Idaho F&G Commission in direct violation of laws that were enacted to prevent that very thing from happening. But it appears that one or more legal advisors, who do not hold an elected office, may have suggested increasing the minimum.
The First and Most important of These Laws
In 1937 the citizens of Idaho created the Fish and Game Commission and spelled out its limited authority and duties in order to qualify for Idaho’s share of “Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act” (P-R) dollars. The Citizen Initiative established Idaho Wildlife Policy – all wildlife within the state is the property of the state and shall be preserved, protected, perpetuated and managed to provide continued supplies for hunting fishing and trapping by Idaho citizens, and as by law permitted to others.
This law was enacted as Idaho Code Sec. 36-103 and has weathered most efforts by activists in the Department to change its intent in recent years. After some urging from me in the mid-1990s, IDFG began publishing subparagraph (a) of 36-103 (about preserving, protecting and managing) but generally ignored subparagraph (b) which spells out its duty and prohibits it from making any policy decisions as follows:
“…because it is inconvenient and impractical for the legislature of the state of Idaho to administer such policy, it shall be the authority, power and duty of the fish and game commission to administer and carry out the policy of the state in accordance with the provisions of the Idaho fish and game code. The commission is not authorized to change such policy but only to administer it.” (emphasis added)
This is not the first time IDFG has violated Idaho Law in its zeal to import and build up a huntable population of Canadian wolves. When the Department was first directed by the Legislature to work with FWS Wolf Leader Ed Bangs to provide accurate information for the Wolf Environmental Impact Statement, Idaho Code Sec. 36-715 was re-written as follows:
“36-715 (2) The department of fish and game shall not be authorized to expend funds, transfer assets or enter into a cooperative agreement with any agency, department or entity of the United States government concerning wolves unless expressly authorized by state statute.”
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Page 6 THE OUTDOORSMAN Dec. 2009

Who Controls F&G? – continued from page 5
In other words in order for IDFG to endorse the federal wolf plan, agree to help FWS reintroduce wolves, or issue a permit to FWS authorizing it to transplant wolves into Idaho, the full Legislature had to first pass legislation authorizing the actions. Yet on September 27, 1994, IDFG Director Jerry Conley did all three of those things illegally, in writing, without the Legislature’s consent – or even its knowledge.
Did a DAG Authorize Violation of I.C. Sec. 36-715?
Did IDFG suddenly ignore the advice of its legal counsel it had been following so closely or was it advised to submit the signed agreements and permit by that counsel? When newly elected Attorney General Al Lance was given copies of the signed documents in January of 2005, why was the investigation of what happened before he was elected suddenly halted?
One man who may know the answers to these questions is Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Dallas Burkhalter who has been the main legal counsel for IDFG until a second DAG was recently authorized. Another is DAG Clive Strong who served as DAG in 1994 and who remains Chief of the AG Natural Resources Division.
Three DAGs Provided Legal Advice on F&G Wolf Plan
We may not know, or be able to prove, whether or not F&G’s violation of the law in 1994 was authorized by a DAG, but we do know the names of the DAG’s who are listed as providing legal advice on page iv of the 2008 IDFG Wolf Plan. They are Natural Resources Division Chief Clive Strong, Senior Deputy Steve Strack and DAG Dallas Burkhalter who is assigned full-time at IDFG.
Clive Strong is in charge and thus responsible for the AG input and Gov. Butch Otter’s legal Counsel, David Hensley is also listed as providing legal advice in the Plan. After I published the fact that the IDFG Wolf Plan was never sent to the Legislature for approval, amendment or rejection as required by law, one F&G official reportedly claimed they were told it was their responsibility to write the plan with increased wolf goals but not told that the changes must be approved by the Legislature.
One Commissioner who had insisted on setting a 2009 hunter harvest quota of more than 400 wolves, cut that figure in half at the last minute with the claim he was told the court would not approve a hunting season for 400 wolves.
DAGs Have Become F&G Support Group
Relatively few Idahoans are aware that the Natural Resource Division headed by Strong provides full legal representation for IDFG and five other Departments in the State. Fewer still are aware that this support has gone far beyond a normal attorney-client relationship to include acting as yet another support group for IDFG.
For example back in 2000 when the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee (JLOC) asked the Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) to investigate IDFG’s failure to seek competitive bids for automated licensing, a DAG sent a letter to JLOC attacking OPE and defending IDFG for hiring an unqualified contractor that cost several hundred thousands dollars annually in lost revenue.
And during the past decade, a series of efforts to introduce a right-to-hunt amendment to the Idaho Constitution have included language assuring that wildlife will be managed to provide continued supplies for hunting, fishing and trapping. IDFG and the Commission always claim to support the concept but oppose each amendment with the claim by their mouthpiece in Washington, D.C. that it will have “unintended consequences.”
The last three proposed Amendments used exactly the same language that is found in Idaho Wildlife Policy in I.C. Sec. 36-103, yet all were derailed by DAGs with the same claim of unintended consequences. In the first of these tries, a DAG claimed that inserting “providing continued supplies of wildlife” in the Idaho Constitution “might” deprive irrigators of their lawful water right.
In the second attempt two years later a DAG warned that making hunting a right “might” cause Idaho to forfeit collection of child support. And in the most recent attempt, a DAG convinced the sponsor to withdraw the proposal just before the vote because the simple language was “too vague and might damage other natural resource users.”
These excuses for not allowing Idaho citizens to vote to protect their diminishing harvest of renewable natural resources were always a last minute surprise when it was too late in the session to amend the proposal. There was never time to get results from other states to disprove the DAG speculation that was not an official AG opinion, and this allowed legislators who traditionally rubber stamp every Fish and game proposal, to torpedo the chance for a meaningful change without their constituents’ knowledge..
Clive Strong has remained immune from voters and is highly regarded by some members of both major political parties for his resolution of contentious water rights issues. However some legislators point out that he gave north Idaho irrigators’ water rights to the Nez Perce Tribe in a controversial agreement that injured historical water users.
Because tactical discussions between the Commission, Department officials and their DAG Counsel take place in unrecorded executive sessions behind closed doors, the public has no way of knowing whether Strong and his DAGs recommended excessive wolf populations or just tacitly approved their existence. Either way, they share responsibility for the unhealthy, diseased big game populations and declining harvests that have become the legacy of future generations of Idahoans.
The fate of Idaho’s unhealthy wildlife resource rests with Legislative Leadership and the members of the Resource and JFAC Committees. They have the authority to chop budgets until desired results exist.



Dec. 2009 THE OUTDOORSMAN Page 7


IDAHO FOR WILDLIFE
News Bulletin No. 2

MISSION STATEMENT
“To protect Idaho’s hunting and fishing heritage. To fight against all legal and legislative attempts by the animal rights and anti-gun organizations that are attempting to take away our rights and freedoms under the constitution of the United States of America. To hold all Federal and State Agencies who are stewards of our wildlife accountable and ensure that true science is used as the primary role for our wildlife management.”

We are a group of everyday Idahoans who like to be in the outdoors. We like to hunt, fish and do some trapping and we enjoy seeing abundant healthy wildlife that is our heritage rather than the declining unhealthy populations that have resulted from wildlife managers ignoring the law and replacing sound science with an extremist agenda. Our mission is to educate the Governing Body of our State, our Fish & Game Commissioners and Idaho Citizens about the difference between scientific wildlife management and misguided efforts to restore so-called “natural” ecosystems.

Bonners Ferry Chapter will be holding elections in at its monthly meetings in January. If you want to have a say in your local chapter and a voice in the state you won’t want to miss this meeting. The chapter will be working towards acquiring a surrogator to raise and release chukars and pheasant in various locations in the county

New Chapters Forming:
Moscow, Idaho in January. Adam and Tia Stagg, 208-875-1347; Salmon, Idaho in January. Frank (Rowdy) Davis

This last year the IFW Snake River Chapter raised and released over 6000 pheasants into the wild along with some great landowners. At the present time this chapter has 15 Surrogators to raise birds. To see an informative video of one release of four-week-old pheasants, visit our website at www.idahoforwildlife.com

IFW and the IFW Snake River chapter is raffling off a CUXTOM BUILT 22-250 RIFLE DONATED BY JON KONTES. Currently Jon Vanek is testing the shooting Pattern so interested parties can see the group). ALL THE PROCEEDS FROM THE RAFFLE WILL GO TO PHEASANT RESTORATION. A photo of the rifle will be on the www.idahoforwildlife.com soon. For Raffle tickets; call Bryan 208-317-5785 or Jim 208-883-3423

It is our hope that we can bring all sportsmen groups to join in protecting our Heritage in Idaho’s outdoors. Please go to our web site www.Idahoforwildlife.com or our sister web www.saveelk.com for much more information.

If you have an interest in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, etc. Please join us with your membership. It is very important that you receive publications such as THE OUTDOORSMAN. News from some of the best scientists, Dr. Val Geist, Dr. Charles Kay. These folks are experts in the field of wildlife. They help us with the donation of their expertise. Donations to Idaho For Wildlife are tax deductible. Family yearly dues are $30.00. Credit card, check or monthly payments. Like UNCLE SAM, WE NEED YOU.

Jim Hagedorn
www.idahoforwildlife.com


Page 8 THE OUTDOORSMAN Dec. 2009

Dear Idaho Legislator


In 1938 when IDFG hired three biologists to design projects to take advantage of the 3-to-1 matching federal excise tax dollars, deer and elk populations were rapidly increasing statewide. In 1951, the number of harvested elk and deer checked through big game check stations was the highest ever recorded before or since.
The November 19, 2009 IDFG payroll shows that wages were paid to 135 biologists, which does not include biologists with titles like Regional Wildlife Manager, Natural Resource Program Coordinator and the Benefitted Temps who are also biologists. The more biologists IDFG hires the fewer deer and elk it produces for hunters to harvest.
It should be obvious to even your most trusting colleagues that, regardless of F&G posturing and promises, approving one more budget request to preserve the status quo will guarantee the accelerating systematic destruction of what was formerly a healthy billion dollar wildlife resource. Pretending that IDFG is preserving, protecting, perpetuating and managing our decimated wildlife is living in a dream world that no longer exists.
As you read this letter, IDFG, along with Montana FWP, is continuing to implement the wildlife linkage and connectivity of “wildlands” corridors along the “Idaho-Montana Divide” from Yellowstone Park to the Canadian Border. The “Western Governors’ Wildlife Council” has directed these two agencies to work with the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, American Wildlands, and other far out

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groups and federal agencies to provide the Yellowstone to Yukon thoroughfare for large carnivores and assorted “at risk” species.
Although Idaho still has some surviving healthy big game herds, if you get beyond the beaten path as I have during recent months, you will get a preview of what you can expect from allowing large carnivores and their parasites and diseases to manage our valuable wildlife.
I urge you to thoroughly read the lead article in this issue and be prepared to tell your constituents why IDFG did not warn them about the very real threat from assorted parasites and diseases spread around our state by the introduction of wolves from the far north. Pretending that a vaccination and a single worming with “Praziquantel” by our former IDFG veterinarian would destroy all of the parasites is an example of the gross ignorance involved in the agenda of restoring large carnivores.
It is only a matter of time until some of us and our children will be taking that same wormer in a daily dose (brand name “Biltricide”) in an effort to destroy the multiplying larval stage of the tapeworm living in the fluid-filled cysts in our organs. For some, this can turn into a nightmare of repeat surgeries and even chemotherapy. Others will live for years without knowing the cysts exist unless something triggers an eruption.
It is possible that knowledge of the widespread existence of hydatid disease or of other diseases spread by wolves may have been a factor in the USFS agreeing to the use of helicopters in the wilderness to collar wolves.
In any event, IDFG has amply demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to manage wolves or the diseases they harbor and spread.

Respectfully,
George Dovel

[horshur]

Article/Valerius Geist Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, the University of Calgary


SOME INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE IN AREAS WHERE WOLVES HAVE BECOME COMMON

On November the 8th, 2005, a 22-year-old third-year geological engineering student at the University of Waterloo by the name of Kenton Joel Carnegie, was killed by four wolves at Points North Landing, Wollaston Lake area, in northern Saskatchewan. This case is unique in that it is the first direct human fatality from a wolf attack in North America in recent times. There have been people bitten by rabid wolves and killed, but such kills “do not count” as it is the rabies virus, not the wolf-bite that killed.

Fresh snow allowed accurate track reading. Mr. Carnegie was by himself when he was approached by the wolves from behind. He fell three times before failing to rise. There have been other attacks in Canada, historical and recent. Mr. Fred Desjarlais was recently attacked and wounded by a wolf in Northern Saskatchewan. There are also unreported recent attacks by wolves in Saskatchewan, one of which I was informed on in some detail. A local rancher was attacked by three wolves while deer hunting. He killed two.

We are aware that the four wolves in question had been observed and photographed by others, and that Mr. Carnegie was aware of this. Unfortunately, neither he nor those who discussed the matter with him, as reported on by the Saskatoon Star phoenix of Nov. 14th 2005, were aware that tame and inquisitive wolves are a signal of danger. Consequently, the first requirement is that the general public, but especially out-doors-men be informed that when they see tame, inquisitive wolves, that they get out of there quick, but without undue haste, while being prepared to defend themselves. Running away invites an attack.

Why are tame and inquisitive wolves a sign of danger?

When wolves are well-fed, they are – extremely – shy, and avoid humans. In my days in the northern wilderness I have seen wolves panic repeatedly when they crossed my track or got my scent. We have other observations indicating that wolves are normally very cautious. However, when wolves run out of their preferred prey, they begin to explore alternative prey. They do so very cautiously, and over an extended time period. This exploration for an alternative food is manifest in wolves becoming – increasingly - tame and inquisitive. My neighbors, my wife and I have had experiences in recent years with one wolf pack which ran out of prey and shifted its attention onto farms and suburbs. I have been investigated three times in the open by wolves, the same wolves threatened my wife twice, once on our door step, the same wolves attacked and killed neighbor dogs, followed riders and “nibbled at” and killed livestock. They explored my neighbor’s dairy cows by docking tails, slashing ears and cutting hocks. Other Vancouver Island wolves went on to explore humans by licked, nipping and tearing clothing (in a camp site on Vargas Island near Tofino) weeks before attacking and severely wounding a camper, Scott Lavigne, July 2nd, 2000. He was saved from the attack by fellow campers Jim Beatty, Vancouver Sun pp. A1-2, July 5th 2000). The bottom line is, when wolves appear tame, stare at you and follow you they are investigating you - and it’s quite likely with lunch in mind.

A confounding factor is refuse about human habitations. Wolves drawn by hunger due to declining natural prey to human habitations, inevitably, run into garbage and refuse. Feeding on such can become a habit which leads to the habituation of wolves to people. Such wolves may not be particularly hungry when they extend their exploration of alternative foods to humans. Two wolves killed after the attack on the camper on Vargas Island were full of deer fawns. This suggests that habituated wolves my attack without being hungry. The bottom line: tame and inquisitive wolves are dangerous no matter how they became tame and inquisitive.

The argument, that there is little danger from wolves because they have rarely attacked humans in North America, is fallacious. There are very good reasons why wolves in North America, as opposed to Europe, have attacked people rarely. In the past decades we have experienced in North America a unique situation: we had a recovery of wildlife. Few North Americans are aware today that a century ago North America’s wildlife was largely decimated and that it took a lot of effort to bring wildlife back. This restoration of North America’s wildlife, and thus this continent’s biodiversity, is probably the greatest environmental success story of the 20th Century. Such a recovery begins with an increase in herbivores. It is followed after a lag-time by an increase in predators. While predators are scarce, and herbivores are abundant, wolves are well fed. Consequently they are very large in body size, but also very shy of people. We expect to see then no tame or inquisitive wolves. Wolves are seen rarely under such conditions, fostering the romantic image of wolves so prevalent in North America today. However, when herbivore numbers decline while wolf numbers rise, we expect wolves to disperse and begin exploring for new prey. That’s when tame, inquisitive wolves appear.

How do we know?

Firstly, because wolves have been raised by scientists in captivity, we have developed a detailed understanding about how wolves explore novelty. This information is discussed by colleagues in my profession. I am an ethologist, that is, a student of animal behavior. In my profession becoming acquainted with how animals habituate is essential to surviving field work with tame animals unscathed. Secondly, I have had personal experiences with a wolf pack that settled about our house on Vancouver Island for four years, ran out of prey and gravitated to farms and suburbs. I wrote down the experiences of my neighbors, my wife and myself as these wolves were, for the first time to my knowledge, not acting like recent North American wolves. Rather, they acted as if they were Russian wolves. I penned a letter on this to Erich Klinghammer of Wolf Park, Illinois, a veteran wolf biologist; the letter was published by the Virgina Wildlifer (May 2003 issue pp. 39-43). Thirdly, I am editing a book on Russian wolves written by a linguist, Will Graves, who worked as translator in Moscow for the US armed forces. The Russian experience delineates with considerable precision when wolves become dangerous. Fourthly, the book by Heptner et al. on the Mammals of the USSR has now been translated in to English by the Smithsonian Institute, and is consequently available in English. Read the section on wolves! Ironically, the experience of the Russians is similar to that of American pioneers as recorded in some detail by Stanley P. Young (1946. The Wolf in North American History. Idaho: Caxton). That wolves can pose a lethal threat is, therefore, not a Red Riding hood Fairytale.

One cannot defend the current romantic notions about harmless, friendly, cuddly wolves! It is necessary that the public be informed that there exists a large amount of experience and information to the contrary. And the public should know the signs of danger before heading into the wilds. And tame, inquisitive wolves are one such sign!

Unfortunately, that’s not all one should be aware of when doing outdoor activities in areas with increasing wolf populations. Expanding wolf populations will, invariably, begin to overlap regions in which small predators carry rabies. Consequently, it becomes likely that some wolves become infected with rabies. Such wolves are highly dangerous, not only because in their mental derangement they become exceedingly aggressive inflicting deep, multiple bite wounds, but also because the bite of a rabid wolf is lethal – unless treated quickly. Anyone bitten by a rabid wolf needs to get to a hospital very quickly for treatment. In the past lethal control of wolf populations was the response to rabid wolves in Canada. However, that’s after the fact! How to deal with this potential problem before the fact is the crux of the matter. Not going out alone, carrying arms and a cell phone may be part of the answer.

And here is a third concern without a simple solution. As indicated earlier, as a landscape is re-colonized by wildlife, herbivores are followed with some lag by carnivores, which in turn are followed after a longer delay by the pathogens and parasites. Some of these require both, herbivores and carnivores, to complete their life cycle. If we generate dense wolf populations then it is inevitable that such lethal diseases as Hydatid disease become established. This disease is based on a tiny tape worm (Echinococcus granulosus) which lives in the gut of canids –wolves, domestic dogs, coyotes - in great multitudes. It produces tiny eggs which are passed out in large volume in the feces of infected canids. Normally these tiny eggs spread out on forage consumed by deer, elk, moose etc. Once ingested the eggs develop into big cysts in the lung, liver or brain of the infected herbivore. Each cyst contains huge numbers of tiny tape-worm heads. The disease kills the host outright or makes it susceptible to predation. When it’s lungs or liver are consumed by wolves, dogs or coyotes, cysts included, the tiny tapeworms are freed, attach themselves to the gut, and grow and produce eggs, closing the cycle.

Humans pick up the disease from the fur of infected wolves, dogs or coyotes they handle, or from the feces they disturb. Wolf scat can be contaminated with millions upon millions of tiny tape worm eggs. These eggs, like fine dust, can become readily air born and landing on hands and mouth. The larvae move into major capillary beds – liver, lung, brain – where they develop into large cysts full of tiny tape worm heads. These cysts can kill infected persons unless they are removed surgically. It consequently behooves us (a) to insure that this disease does not become wide spread, and (b) that hunters and guided know that wolf scats and coyote scats should never be touched or kicked. Therefore, do not touch or kick wolf feces – on principle! Avoid it and do not disturb. (c) In areas with Echinococcus skinning of wolves and coyotes must be done with grate care using gloves and masks! (d) Never feed the offal from deer, elk and moose to domestic dogs! If the gut of the domestic dog is filled with Echinococcus tape worms, then the house and yard in which the dog lives will become infected with the deadly tape worm eggs. These can then develop into big cysts in humans using said habitation. Ranches are especially endangered.

There are still other diseases which will spread with “completion of the ecosystem”. We face a potential public health problem.

[redgirls]

Good Post. EVERYBODY using this website should read your info. I actually just read the same articles 2 weeks ago with no clue about the potential harm. Just one more reason among a list of THOUSANDS to KILL and hate ALL WOLVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike Leonard]

Wolves of bio diversity don't you know that? LOL!

That is the new buz word for the Yellostone Park wolf program. Yes fewer elk survive but then again the pronghorn antelope herd is doing well so wolves are creating that bio diversity. LOL!


I don't know how many of you are aware that wolves are very hard on gizzley bears. In Canada it has been noted for years that wolf packs seem to enjoy digging a hibernating griz. out of his winter den and playing with him while he is in the semi drugged groggy state of hibernation. these sparing matches can go on for hours and generally leave the bear stumbling around in his own guts until he dies.

No not a pretty picture and certainly not a story you will hear much of from the wolf loving crowd. But none the less the true wilderness experts in griz country where wolves are thick will concur.

It won't be long and this will be happening here if it isn't already. I am sure black bears will be on the menu as well.

[not color blind]

Mike, its already happening to our black bear hear in Wisconsin. I haven't seen it but I've heard of different loggers coming across these bears that have been drug out of there dens and killed.

[Nolte]

NCB,

Our own DNR on the West side of the state has already seen it in the refuge by us.

Personally I carry my own long-distance wolf life threatening disease with me at all times, just waiting for the chance to use it. I just wish I coud find a way for them to transmit it to all their other little buddies.

Like someone said, just another reason in a long list to want them gone.

I think we shold modify the saying I saw on here for all the tourists. "Welcome to WI, have an Old Style then take a wolf and go home."

[Brady Davis]

I had no idea wolves did that to bears....Check another bad point up for them

[wolfbait]

Dr. Valerius Geist’s Response to the Claims That Hydatid Disease Spread by Wolves Does Not Represent a Significant Threat to Humans





When the news broke that hydatid disease had established itself in the Northwest of the United States, I quickly responded, stating some of the precautions hunters should take in the field. As a Canadian field biologist I had been well instructed about hydatid disease in my training, which reinforced what I knew since childhood because a relative of mine died of hydatid disease.

During my career, friendships with medical people experienced with that disease reinforced what I knew. It's nothing to fool around with! Consequently I am a bit concerned about recent statements that take a rather cavalier attitude towards the disease.

The pro and contra machinations pertaining to wolves are of little concern here. What is important is that people living or recreating in areas with hydatid disease take precautions, while steps have to be undertaken to eradicate the disease.

To those supporting wolf conservation, let me make it clear: if wolves are going to survive in the Northwest, it will be wolves without infestations with dog tape worms. On this point, ludicrous as it may seem today to some, all parties can and should unite.

The more each party does its homework, the more likely this happy event will come to pass!

To reiterate briefly: because infected wolves, coyotes, dogs, foxes but also putty cats small and big, like mountain lions, or even raccoons, may carry dog tapeworm, or fox tapeworm or a number of related species of tapeworms, all of which are bad business, it is important that feces from carnivores is treated with great care – as well as the handling of carcasses and skins of carnivores in affected areas.

Because the tiny eggs, liberated by the millions in carnivore feces, are dispersed even by slight air currents, it is important for reasons of personal health not to poke or kick such feces. It will usually be dry and will then liberate clouds of tape worm eggs and this cloud of eggs will settle on your clothing, your exposed skin, in your sinuses and windpipe, on your lips and if you inhale through the mouth in your oral cavity.

If you lick your lips, the eggs will get into your oral cavity. When sinuses and windpipe clear themselves of inhaled particles with your sputum, the eggs will get into your mouth and be swallowed with sputum. If you touch the feces or even poke it chances are the cloud of tiny eggs will also settle on your hands, and may contaminate the food you handle or eat.

People with dogs are at risk because their dogs may feed unbeknown to them on carcasses or gut piles of big game infected with that disease, infecting themselves with dog tape worm. These dogs will defecate in kennel and yards, spreading the tiny eggs. They will also lick their anus and fur spreading the eggs into their fur. The eggs will cling to boots and be carried indoors, where they float about till they settle down as dust. Now everybody is at risk of infection, especially toddlers crawling around on the floor. Putty cats can also be involved.

Hunters and ranching folks keeping or hunting with dogs in areas infected with hydatid disease are thus much more at risk than urban populations. The disease is silent, difficult to detect till very late, innocuous when the infection is light, provided the cyst is not interfering with vital functions, but lethal if it does, especially if cysts form in the brain. Fox tapeworm infections are worse. New is that some drugs help contain the disease but in many cases surgery is required. Unfortunately, the surgery can be very tricky.

To control the disease, we may have to do controlled burning of big game winter ranges to burn off the eggs. We should also consider targeting known wolf packs with medicated bait to purge them of tapeworms.

I wrote this much in an article in press and sent the manuscript to a colleague in Finland, Dr. Kaarlo Nygren, a game biologist working on hydatid disease, asking him if I was correct or if I had exaggerated in any way or form. The

continued on page 2





Page 2 THE OUTDOORSMAN Jan. 2010





Hydatid Disease – continued from page 1

following is his reply which confirms what I have written and also describes what happened when wolves infected with E. granulosus tapeworms were introduced into his area.



Valerius Geist, PhD. Professional Biologist

Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science

The University of Calgary



Dear Val,

I am indeed working on Echinococcus granulosus even after my retirement (on) 1/3/2010, because it appeared to be spreading in my own home area, Karelia, both sides of the Fenno-Russian border. I am afraid it will not only affect our staple food and essential part of our heritage, moose, but also us directly.

Hunters, dog owners, forest workers, berry and mushroom pickers will indeed be in danger. I agree in all you told in your paper; none of it is exaggeration.

So far, the largest hydatid disease outburst was in the sixties and seventies in northernmost Lapland where it severely affected reindeer-keeping people. It came with the wolves.

I still remember dramatic articles of that period describing aerial extermination offensives against the wolves; never before or after that have we used aeroplanes with soldiers using "Suomi" submachine guns against wildlife! Wolf population was thinned out by all means.

I also have, among memories from my younger days, a radio program where the local Game Chief (we have 15 such in Finland) gave instructions how to shoot a wolf through the window - what gun and cartridges one should use and how close to the glass one should keep the barrel when the beast is watching through it.

After this (extermination) operation, much work and propaganda was needed to clean the reindeer herding dogs in and out. But it was done. Now, this new wolf wave brought the parasite in again.

Beginning from the reindeer area, findings gradually spread southwards along the eastern border. Last spring, I was asked to (examine) a moose found dead in the snow near Värtsilä, where we have an important border and customs station with about a million passengers annually coming and going.

The moose was almost hairless (for a reason we were unable to confirm) but it had hydatid cysts in many organs, particularly lungs.

I sampled the contents by injection needle and in a droplet placed on an objective glass, thousands of things like miniature human skulls with sharp teeth (my first impression!) were seen. This was the first case of E.granulosus for me. I have seen thousands of Taenia cysts in our moose after opening thousands of carcasses but this was something else. And it was in my moose herd.

I quickly organized a sampling in that game management unit (in which) the moose was found and in the neighbourhood also; hunters gave me a total sample from their bag for last year. We did lungs only and used official state vets to make it officially very clear.

It was shown that every 5th moose was carrying it in their lungs. Since liver seems to be among the very first organs normally affected, there may be an even higher prevalence than observed.

I told about our findings in a Swedish speaking radio program in Finland and it also was heard in Sweden. The chief of Swedish hunters association, Dr.vet.med. Torsten Mörner, commented and revealed that it has been found in Sweden also, after the re-appearance of wolves. Prof. Pjotr Danilov has started some kind of a program to find out the situation on his side of Karelia.

Last March, a large wolf was killed by hunters near the border on (the) Russian side. It had been seen on our side also several times and had caused fear only by its size. The weight measured soon after killing was 79 kilograms (174.2 pounds). We still seem to have some of that size alive.

It is no wonder why the Karelian Orthodox people living in villages feared wolves, killed them by all means but also considered dogs being not clean enough to be allowed inside human dwellings.

A dog in the village chapel, not to mention in monasteries, almost caused a burning and re-building of the house. At least thorough cleaning and religious rituals were needed.

One should also keep in mind, that in an orthodox home, a set of hand washing equipment near the door was as essential as icons on the opposite right-hand corner shelf. Before even greeting the people, the incoming person was supposed to wash his hands, dry them with a specially decorated towel, then make a cross sign with his right hand and bow towards the icon. Then, he was asked to step further.

Here, the homologies with other religious groups like Jews and Muslims automatically come to one’s mind. Do not eat pork (trichinosis danger!), do not drink or eat blood or you might die in bacterial poisons! Wash your hands to avoid hydatid disease!

Our hunters are just starting to understand what this all means. So do our veterinarians. The first concern of the lady dissecting our moose lungs was: "How should we publicize this without the risk that people start demanding all our wolver be killed?"



Best wishes for 2010.



Kaarlo Nygrén

Game and Fisheries Research Institute
Ilomantsi Game Research Station
Ilomantsi, Finland



Jan. 2010 THE OUTDOORSMAN Page 3



The Wildlife Disease Cover-Up That May Put You and Your Family at Risk

By George Dovel





When I was growing up, personal safety was pretty much a matter of using common sense and, if we were lucky, having a parent or others who were also older and more experienced teach us about life’s hazards. Now we rely on government “experts” to protect our health and well-being – but what happens when the experts ignore our welfare to promote an alien agenda that can harm us?

In the Dec. 2009 Outdoorsman, I exposed the four year cover-up by Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game (IDFG) and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials of the fact that wolves are spreading a new strain of hydatid disease in both states. I anticipated the usual damage control propaganda and it wasn’t long in coming.

Two days after the internet version of that article was circulated in Montana, an article titled, “Infestation in wolves poses no danger to humans, livestock, officials say,” appeared in the Billings Gazette. The article quoted three of the researchers who documented the existence of cystic hydatid disease in big game species in the two states and documented a massive infestation of the tapeworm that causes the disease in two-thirds of the wolf intestines they examined.

“More Deer and Elk Infected Than People Realize”

FWP veterinarian Deborah McCauley said she doesn’t believe the Echinococcus tapeworm will have any harmful effect on the Montana’s elk herds and added, “In ungulates it doesn’t cause a significant disease.” In that Montana article, IDFG veterinarian Mark Drew refrained from commenting on the impact of the disease on elk and deer in Montana but said, “There are more deer and elk infected than people realize.”

The study’s lead author, veterinary parasitologist William Foreyt of Washington State University, admitted he believed the parasites were brought in by the wolves transplanted from Canada and expressed amazement at the degree of infection. “I was absolutely shocked to see such a high prevalence,” he said. “Some of these wolves had tens of thousands of tapeworms. They were massively infected.”

Study Author Claims Humans Have to Eat the Eggs in the Feces to Become Infected

Although Foreyt admitted such high prevalence increases the possibility the tapeworm will spread, he said transmission of the tapeworm to humans or livestock is unlikely. “For humans to contract the tapeworm, they would have to somehow come into oral contact with a wolf’s feces,” he said.

In an apparent reference to Dr. Geist’s warning he said poking around in dried wolf feces might release the eggs into the air, but said the person would have to ingest the eggs, not just inhale them, for the tapeworm to take root. “You’d have to eat the eggs in the feces,” he insisted

But that is not true. Keeping your mouth closed and breathing through your nose will not prevent you from swallowing the eggs if they are in the air. The “motile cilia” found in the lining of our windpipe and air passages constantly sweep mucous with trapped dust, parasite eggs, bacteria, etc. up out of the lungs to the back of the throat where it is swallowed. (Geist personal communication)

And their claim in this and subsequent newspaper accounts, that only those animals grazing in the vicinity of wolf feces will ingest the eggs is similarly misleading. As each pile of fresh wolf feces begins to dry, the eggs, like weed seeds, are released and transported by wind, water and assorted mammals, birds and especially insects over what is often a considerable distance from the original site.

Foreyt – “It Really is Not Going to Affect People”

A similar article in Idaho’s Lewiston Tribune nine days later mentioned my December 2009 article and Dr. Geist’s warning. Although Foreyt did not repeat his earlier claim that in order for humans to get the disease they would have to have oral contact with wolf feces, he was quoted as follows:

"The news media have overblown this - that it is going to affect people and animals and it really is not. If this wildlife strain ever does affect people, they usually don't produce any serious problems."

To which IDFG veterinarian Drew added that people diagnosed with the disease can be treated with medication.

The first “expert” contradicted himself in the very next sentence and the second neglected to explain the circumstances when medication will help and, as is most often the case, when surgery is needed. Yet the reporter repeated the self-serving sound bites and ignored Dr. Geist’s explanation of the facts he provided.

Origin of the Claim That Sylvatic Disease is Mild

Claims that the northern wild animal (sylvatic) strain of cystic hydatid disease does not cause serious problems in humans can be traced to two events:

a) The cysts normally grow slowly inside your body for months, years, or in some cases even several decades without any symptoms to indicate their presence.

b) A review of 101 reported cases in Alaska by Wilson et al published in 1968, indicated that some pulmonary (lung) cysts may rupture “naturally,” or are otherwise treatable with medication rather than surgery.

continued on page 4



Page 4 THE OUTDOORSMAN Jan. 2010





Disease Cover-Up – continued from page 3

More than 40 years ago when public health officials in Alaska were screening elderly Eskimos in an effort to detect tuberculosis in its early stages, chest X-rays revealed hydatid cysts in some of their lungs. None of these pulmonary cysts had produced reported symptoms, but several had ruptured with the infected person expectorating (hawking and spitting) the cyst contents.

Later, in 1973, Wilson reported that 30 of 36 lung cysts with no symptoms responded to medication without surgery and speculated that sylvatic cysts in the lungs may be less severe than those reported from “pastoral” strains (involving dogs and domestic sheep). The review suggested that most such cases in the lungs could be treated successfully with medication and that complications from the half of the cysts that ruptured were less severe in the long term than might have occurred with surgical removal.

At the time, it was assumed that most patients with hepatic or abdominal cysts were asymptomatic (without symptoms) and were never diagnosed. Educating Alaska residents to not feed uncooked meat or offal to their dogs, and the change from dog teams to snow machines by Eskimos probably contributed to the sharp decline in reported cases of human hydatid disease in Alaska.

Two Out of Three Recent Cyst Infections Were Severe

From the mid 1950s through 1990, more than 300 cases of hydatid disease were reported in Alaska alone yet from 1990-1999 only three cases were reported. Two of those three cases occurred in 1999, with the first resulting in death and the second requiring a 30-day hospitalization involving delicate medical procedures to reduce the danger from surgery. It was followed by surgical removal and daily medication for 12 months following the surgery.

The first patient, a 51-year-old Caucasian woman, typically had no symptoms and the cyst was discovered by a physician during a physical examination. The lump detected on her abdomen was not tender and by using ultrasound, was diagnosed as a simple cyst on her liver.

A consulting surgeon and gastroenterologist agreed not to pursue further diagnostics or treatment due to lack of symptoms (pain, fever, etc.) and no evidence that it was a hydatid cyst. Three months later the woman began to experience pain and three days later she suddenly died.

Cases Don’t Fit Pattern Described by Biologists

The medical examiner determined the cause of death was probable anaphylactic reaction (shock) related to leakage of a hepatic Echinococcus cyst. Many daughter cysts, brood capsules and tapeworm larvae indicated a dangerous condition that is not supposed to happen in the sylvatic strain according to some wildlife biologists.

The second patient, a 17-year-old native woman from Southeast Alaska had two cysts on her liver when she entered the hospital after experiencing symptoms for eight days. Her 103-degree fever could not be lowered and she was transferred to a larger hospital for treatment.

The cysts were compressing the gall bladder and stomach and, as with the older woman, one cyst had leaked fluid. Neither victim fit the “classic” pattern of exposure to sled dogs but both lived not far from moose and wolf populations, and one had the neighbor’s dogs visiting her yard while the other had small dogs living in her house.

A discussion of these two cases by the eight specialists that were involved in every phase from treatment to confirming the sylvatic strain with genetic testing at an Australian facility, can be seen at: http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/66/3/325.pdf. The paper emphasizes:

“Most reviews of ‘benign’ echinococcosis in Alaska were of pulmonary cysts discovered incidentally in older persons during TB screening programs. Because many of the earlier cases discovered incidentally were asymptomatic, a detection bias could have given the appearance that Echinococcus cysts grew quietly without consequences.”

Studies Show Sylvatic Hydatid Disease Treatment Just as Complex as Dog-Sheep Version

In recent, far more representative medical reviews of hydatid disease patients conducted at teaching hospitals in Winnipeg and Edmonton, the number of sylvatic disease patients with liver cysts equaled or exceeded the number with lung cysts. Because these reviews did not include a non-representative sampling of elderly Eskimos with calcified lung cysts that were resolving (as the 42-year-old review had) the character of nearly all of the cysts in these studies could hardly be described as “benign.”

A paper, published in “The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases,” reviewed case histories of patients treated for the sylvatic strain of cystic hydatid disease at two hospitals in Winnipeg from Jan. 1987 through Dec. 1997. The review excluded patients who came from places where they might have been infected with the pastoral (domestic dog/sheep) strain and also excluded patients treated for the more deadly E. multilocularis tapeworm disease called “Alveolar Echinococcocis.”

Of the 17 sylvatic cases of hydatid disease treated, seven had lung cysts, seven had liver cysts, one had cysts in both lungs and liver and two had cysts in the spleen. Twelve were treated with surgery alone, two more with a combination of needle aspiration (suction) and surgery, and three received no curative treatment. One of the three had the cyst rupture later and was treated with medication and the other two did not return for follow-up examination.

An 18-year-old aboriginal woman had a cyst on her liver measuring 10-1/4 inches in diameter and was experiencing loss of appetite, severe pain, swelling and jaundice. Surgery could not be attempted until internal pressure from the cyst causing complications was relieved so a catheter was inserted through the skin and nearly four gallons of fluid was drained from the cyst over a two-week period. Then a combination of surgery and careful suction



Jan 2010 THE OUTDOORSMAN Page 5





of cyst contents was successful and the patient recovered following several months of daily medication.

The conclusion of this report published in the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases was: “Cystic hydatid disease is an uncommon infection in northern North America, but is similar in clinical manifestations to disease acquired in sheep-raising areas.” The report also stated: “In the sylvatic variety, lung cysts may be more common. Most cysts are asymptomatic and are only discovered during investigations for other complaints. However, they may cause considerable pain, become infected and lead to anaphylactic shock, although rarely” (plus a list of other medical complications – see at: http://www.ncbi,nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094814 .)

A similar medical review of 42 patients hospitalized in Edmonton with echinococcal disease symptoms from 1991 to 2001, also included only known or suspected infections from the sylvatic strain of E. granulosus. Of 22 patients in which the specific disease was confirmed initially, 40% had lung cysts and 50% had liver cysts.

These patients ranged in age from 5-87 years and 32% had surgical removal combined with medical treatment, 27% had surgical removal alone, 18% had cyst aspiration, one had medical treatment alone and 18% received no corrective treatment.

Although the outcome of the patients was said to be generally good, significant pre-operative complications included two cyst ruptures infecting the bronchus, three infections of lung or liver cysts, and obstructive jaundice. Major complications after surgery included leakage of bile and of fluid from the lungs, wound infection, and abdominal bleeding requiring liver transplant.

The title of this review report was: “Echinococcal disease in Alberta, Canada: more than a calcified* opacity.” (*in a CT Scan the presence of a calcified cyst wall is suggestive of an inactive cyst such as those reported in some elderly Eskimos during the 1960s). In both this review and the review of sylvatic hydatid disease in the Winnipeg hospitals, significant complications often occurred despite the presence of calcification.

For example, five days after the birth of her baby a 28-year-old patient had pneumonia-like symptoms that did not respond to medication. Calcified hydatid cysts in the tongue cavity and one lung were discovered and surgically removed which resolved the problems.

Other case histories reveal that childbirth or a blow received during contact sports have ruptured a cyst which then necessitated surgical removal. Whether the cysts are sylvatic or pastoral in origin, calcified or actively growing, they can exist without symptoms in the human body for years and suddenly create a life-threatening circumstance.

The Calgery report, which can be seen at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/5/34, included the following statements in its summary:

“In comparing the clinical features and outcome of Canadian-born patients (presumed to have the sylvatic variant of E. granulosus) and foreign-born patients (who could have any type of Echinococcus infection), no differences were noted.”

“A previous study from northern Canada and the United States described hepatic involvement in 71% of cases and pulmonary involvement in only 7% of cases. Previous reviews suggested that pulmonary cysts are more common in children and young adults while hepatic cysts are more common in older persons, which is compatible with our findings.”

Early Detection Essential to Prevent Complications

Treatment at the Children’s Hospital in Vancouver of three children aged 9-12 with single lung cysts reflects the conclusion that identification of hydatid cysts before they grow large enough to damage the organ is necessary to prevent complications. Two of the cysts responded to six months of treatment but the third fist-size cyst resulted in infection and surgical removal the damaged lobe after nine months.

Both of the reports emphasized the necessity to differentiate between a hydatid cyst on the liver and others such as simple cysts. Although this diagnosis may entail a degree of risk, they suggested pursuing it in areas where hydatid disease is known to exist.

They also pointed out that the number of cystic hydatid disease patients infected with the pastoral (domestic) strain of E. in Canada has decreased for several decades with recent increases in the number of patients infected with the sylvatic (wild animal) strain. But the authors in both studies felt the number of reported cases does not reflect the extent of infections in humans.

The Alberta study reported that efforts to worm concentrations of infected foxes with bait had been used to reduce infections, but said this was not considered practical in a vast country such as Canada. They reasoned that the extensive period between the time a human is infected and the point when the disease erupts with symptoms in some people prevents identification of the mode of infection.

“Conclusion: Until our understanding of the modes of transmission of ED improves, education of the public about this relatively rare disease is unlikely to be effective. Therefore, from a public health perspective, the emphasis must be on further progress in management of this disease, which will require increasing awareness on the part of physicians regarding the multitude of presentations, improved diagnostics, and further study of long-term outcomes with different treatment modalities.”



(NOTE: A comparison of these statements from medical doctors whose agenda is to protect private citizens from disease, with the statements from wildlife officials whose agenda is to protect wolves and their parasites from private citizens, is revealing. – ED)





Page 6 THE OUTDOORSMAN Jan. 2010





IDFG “White Paper” Response to Concerns About Wolves Introducing New Strain of Hydatid Disease

By George Dovel





During the third week in January, I received a copy of the following well-circulated email from Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game Panhandle Region Supervisor Chip Corsi to the Panhandle Region employees he supervises:

“Some of you may have seen the latest from George Dovel’s “The Outdoorsman”. Based on Mark’s (IDFG veterinarian Mark Drew) assessments (attached), human health risk is quite low, provided you avoid consuming things like canid feces and uncooked organs; and I think suggests Dovel’s interpretation is more than a bit sensationalized. If you are handling wolves or coyotes, wear gloves. Risk to humans does not appear to be any greater than with other parasites found in wildlife that we, and hunters/trappers, routinely handle.”

At the risk of being accused of using this page for a personal rebuttal, I shall point out that here’s a biologist who drew $84,000 in wages plus liberal benefits in FY 2009, yet who is willing to ignore biology in order to divert attention from the real issue. By concealing the fact that a new strain of E. granulosus tapeworm was contaminating tens of thousands of square miles of Idaho during the past four years, IDFG caused irreparable harm.

It put an unknown number of Idahoans at risk of being infected with a new strain of hydatid disease, including the Panhandle Region IDFG employees under Corsi’s supervision. The Department’s warning to wear gloves resulted from the truth finally being exposed, but it came four years too late. And Corsi’s inference that we must eat canine feces to become infected has generated emails from veterinarians in several states asking if Idaho biologists are really that dumb.

IDFG Officials Ignore CDC Warning

The National Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta issued a fact sheet on Aveolar Echinococcocis (AE), the other variety of Echinococcocis disease that also exists in Montana, and is spread to humans by the E. multiclocularis tapeworm which infects rodents and humans rather than big game and humans. The fact sheet, dated September 23, 2004, includes the following warnings applicable to both tapeworms whose eggs look exactly the same and are spread in exactly the same fashion:



· Don’t touch a fox, coyote, or other wild canine, dead or alive, unless you are wearing gloves.

· After handling pets, always wash your hands with soap and warm water.

· Do not collect or eat wild fruits or vegetables picked directly from the ground. All wild-picked foods should be washed carefully or cooked before eating.

“Because wild coyotes, foxes, and wolves are being trapped and transported to states where E. multilocularis has not previously been found, there is increased risk of spreading the disease to animals and humans.”

IDFG “White Paper” Claims Potential for Human Exposure is “Relatively Low”

In the “White Paper” provided to the Idaho Legislature by IDFG Veterinarian Mark Drew and the Idaho Dept. of Agriculture, the view that Hydatid disease does not represent a serious threat to residents of Idaho and Montana mirrors the opinion expressed by Dr. Robert Rausch. In several published papers he considers the disease a threat only to indigenous (native) people who live with dogs in unsanitary conditions.

Rausch, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington, was the expert who identified the parasites in the study of Idaho and Montana wolf lower intestines conducted by Drew, Foreyt et al. He also participated in the review of 101 cases of cystic hydatid disease in Alaska published in 1968 by Wilson et al discussed in another article in this issue.

If you have already read that article, you will recall the authors in the Edmonton and Winnipeg reviews of medical case histories were critical of the 1968 study because the subjects had no symptoms and were not seeking medial treatment. Like them, most people infected with hydatid disease have the cysts growing inside them for 10-15 years before they either grow large enough to create problems or rupture.

During that extended period the cysts can be described as “benign” but eventually some of them will become painful and a few will cause sudden death. Unless an autopsy is performed the real cause of death may never be known.

On January 25, 2010 I emailed a copy of the “white paper” provided to the Legislature to Dr. Valerius Geist and asked for his comments. The following is his response which should be read carefully by everyone:



Dear Friends,

The important point about Echinococcus granulosus is not that it is a threat to hunters or biologists in the field, as spreading a bit of sensible know-how about proper sanitary measures will reduce chances of infections.

The problem with hydatid disease is that it is transmitted to dogs in rural areas, and that sanitary measures then are difficult to implement. When the

IDFG “White Paper” Response to Concerns About Wolves Introducing New Strain of Hydatid Disease

By George Dovel





During the third week in January, I received a copy of the following well-circulated email from Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game Panhandle Region Supervisor Chip Corsi to the Panhandle Region employees he supervises:

“Some of you may have seen the latest from George Dovel’s “The Outdoorsman”. Based on Mark’s (IDFG veterinarian Mark Drew) assessments (attached), human health risk is quite low, provided you avoid consuming things like canid feces and uncooked organs; and I think suggests Dovel’s interpretation is more than a bit sensationalized. If you are handling wolves or coyotes, wear gloves. Risk to humans does not appear to be any greater than with other parasites found in wildlife that we, and hunters/trappers, routinely handle.”

At the risk of being accused of using this page for a personal rebuttal, I shall point out that here’s a biologist who drew $84,000 in wages plus liberal benefits in FY 2009, yet who is willing to ignore biology in order to divert attention from the real issue. By concealing the fact that a new strain of E. granulosus tapeworm was contaminating tens of thousands of square miles of Idaho during the past four years, IDFG caused irreparable harm.

It put an unknown number of Idahoans at risk of being infected with a new strain of hydatid disease, including the Panhandle Region IDFG employees under Corsi’s supervision. The Department’s warning to wear gloves resulted from the truth finally being exposed, but it came four years too late. And Corsi’s inference that we must eat canine feces to become infected has generated emails from veterinarians in several states asking if Idaho biologists are really that dumb.

IDFG Officials Ignore CDC Warning

The National Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta issued a fact sheet on Aveolar Echinococcocis (AE), the other variety of Echinococcocis disease that also exists in Montana, and is spread to humans by the E. multiclocularis tapeworm which infects rodents and humans rather than big game and humans. The fact sheet, dated September 23, 2004, includes the following warnings applicable to both tapeworms whose eggs look exactly the same and are spread in exactly the same fashion:



· Don’t touch a fox, coyote, or other wild canine, dead or alive, unless you are wearing gloves.

· After handling pets, always wash your hands with soap and warm water.

· Do not collect or eat wild fruits or vegetables picked directly from the ground. All wild-picked foods should be washed carefully or cooked before eating.

“Because wild coyotes, foxes, and wolves are being trapped and transported to states where E. multilocularis has not previously been found, there is increased risk of spreading the disease to animals and humans.”

IDFG “White Paper” Claims Potential for Human Exposure is “Relatively Low”

In the “White Paper” provided to the Idaho Legislature by IDFG Veterinarian Mark Drew and the Idaho Dept. of Agriculture, the view that Hydatid disease does not represent a serious threat to residents of Idaho and Montana mirrors the opinion expressed by Dr. Robert Rausch. In several published papers he considers the disease a threat only to indigenous (native) people who live with dogs in unsanitary conditions.

Rausch, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington, was the expert who identified the parasites in the study of Idaho and Montana wolf lower intestines conducted by Drew, Foreyt et al. He also participated in the review of 101 cases of cystic hydatid disease in Alaska published in 1968 by Wilson et al discussed in another article in this issue.

If you have already read that article, you will recall the authors in the Edmonton and Winnipeg reviews of medical case histories were critical of the 1968 study because the subjects had no symptoms and were not seeking medial treatment. Like them, most people infected with hydatid disease have the cysts growing inside them for 10-15 years before they either grow large enough to create problems or rupture.

During that extended period the cysts can be described as “benign” but eventually some of them will become painful and a few will cause sudden death. Unless an autopsy is performed the real cause of death may never be known.

On January 25, 2010 I emailed a copy of the “white paper” provided to the Legislature to Dr. Valerius Geist and asked for his comments. The following is his response which should be read carefully by everyone:



Dear Friends,

The important point about Echinococcus granulosus is not that it is a threat to hunters or biologists in the field, as spreading a bit of sensible know-how about proper sanitary measures will reduce chances of infections.

The problem with hydatid disease is that it is transmitted to dogs in rural areas, and that sanitary measures then are difficult to implement. When the

infection of elk and deer with hydatid cysts exceeds half the population, then ranch dogs are at risk picking up the disease as the chances are high that they will feed when not supervised on dead deer and elk or on offal left by hunters.

Unbeknown to their owners the infected dogs begin to fill the yard with tapeworm eggs in an ongoing fashion. Even if the dog is not allowed into the house, people walking through the yard will carry the eggs into the house with dirt on their boots.

In any such house raising children, toddlers will be crawling on the floor and they will gather dust and dirt on their hands and put their hands in their mouth. Therefore wherever you have deer or elk around farms, ranches and hamlets, and wherever in such abodes there are dogs roaming about, there is a high probability that tapeworm eggs will be brought into homes continually. It is also hard to imagine such dogs not getting petted.

Since hydatid disease is a silent disease that takes time to develop, there is not likely to be a problem till a number of people down the road are affected seriously. Once detected, even the sylvatic form of E. granulosus is likely to lead to surgery – no insignificant medical intervention even if quite successful.

Some cases will be fatal because cysts do implant in the brain, even if most implant in the lungs and liver. We need to get on with deciphering how this disease can be eradicated in our game herds.

In Finland it was achieved, till colonizing wolves brought it once more from Russia. Since the much worse E. multilocularis is spreading in the NW and resides in coyotes, coyote hunters need to be informed to take sensible precautions.



Cheers, Val Geist


The claim by Montana FWP Veterinarian Deborah McCauley that she doesn’t believe the Echinococcus tapeworm will have any harmful effect on the Montana’s elk herds, ignores numerous research in other states, provinces and countries indicating that the increase in parasite infestation inevitably results in predators killing far more of the prey species.



Based solely on the opinion of the Ag author of the “White Paper,” Idaho Sen. Tim Corder sent the following email message: “The increase of the wolf population does not constitute a threat to human health or domestic livestock.” Yet a 4-fold increase in the fox population in Switzerland from 1980-1995 resulted in an emerging epidemic of deadly alveolar hydatid disease in humans.

Idaho citizens expect their elected officials to stop repeating the unsupported opinions from bureaucrats and make sound decisions based on documented facts.