Can dogs smell brucellosis?

Posted 4/4/17

WYOMING – Wyoming Game and Fish Brucellosis-Feedground Habitat personnel are partnering with researchers from Utah State University who are testing the feasibility of using sniffer dogs to identify cow elk that are infected or seropositive for brucellosis

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Can dogs smell brucellosis?

Posted

WYOMING – Wyoming Game and Fish Brucellosis-Feedground Habitat personnel are partnering with researchers from Utah State University who are testing the feasibility of using sniffer dogs to identify cow elk that are infected or seropositive for brucellosis.

Fecal samples and vaginal swabs were collected at a number of elk feedgrounds. The animals from which samples were collected also had blood drawn and researchers determined which samples to use as the training “target,” based on the results of their blood work.

Two dogs – a black lab and an Australian cattle dog mix – were then trained using a ball reward to discriminate between samples taken from seropositive and seronegative elk.

This project has several goals. Currently, there are few tests for brucellosis in elk that can be conducted quickly in the field. If sniffer dogs can accurately identify infected or seropositive elk, they could provide wildlife managers with another research tool.

The broader implications of this work are that disease detection in wildlife could be conducted without the need to capture and handle animals. For instance, if the question is, “Are any of the animals in this herd sick?”, scat samples could be collected by people (with or without dogs) where the animals have recently been. These samples could be taken to another location where trained sniffer dogs run past them, and if they alert to any of the samples, you would have reason to suspect there are infected animals present on that landscape.

Dogs have been used to detect cancer and other diseases. The science underlying much of this sniffer dog work is that when an animal has a particular illness, there are volatile organic compounds present in their breath, feces, or urine, that are unique to that illness, and that dogs can smell and remember. Results are expected later this year, in the meantime the dogs are training every day.

G&F offers inspector training courses

PINEDALE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is offering trainings for members of the public to become a certified Wyoming Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspector. These trainings will provide the skills necessary to inspect personally owned and other’s watercraft.
The trainings include information on basic biology, impacts, transport vectors and distribution of AIS. It includes classroom instruction, a question and answer session, and a hands-on watercraft inspection exercise. The trainings are free and open to anyone interested in preventing the spread of AIS through watercraft inspection.
Aquatic Invasive Species can be aquatic animals such as zebra and quagga mussels or rusty crayfish, or aquatic vegetation such as hydrilla.

“Members of the public who become aware about AIS and practice Clean, Drain, Dry on their boats are critical in the fight to prevent the spread of AIS to Wyoming,” said Beth Bear, Game and Fish aquatic invasive species coordinator.
“With this training, certified inspections can inspect their watercraft when a Game and Fish check station is not available, and that helps keep AIS from negatively affecting native species and our prized sport fisheries.
Trainings are being offered as a one-day course from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the spring in statewide locations and Nebraska. G&F will hold a course at its Pinedale Office on May 9.

View more information on the AIS website. The registration deadline is one week prior to the class start date.
To register or for more information, contact Beth Bear at (307) 745-5180 Ext. 256 or beth.bear@wyo.gov. Please provide your name, mailing address, phone number and email address.

Elk hunting in the state still some of the best

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department forecasted that the 2016 hunting season would be a good year for high hunter success, and that prediction rang true last fall. Wyoming hunters harvested the second-highest number of elk in recent history.
“A mild winter in 2015 and good moisture during the growing season bolstered plant growth providing great habitat for Wyoming’s wildlife,” said Doug Brimeyer, Game and Fish deputy chief of wildlife “The 2016-’17 winter had localized impacts on some elk herds but overall, elk numbers remain very strong statewide and hunters can expect another exceptional hunting season this fall.”
During the 2016 elk season, hunters reported 44.5-percent success with a total of 25,852 elk taken. Bull harvest was the highest within the last 10 years among both resident and non-resident hunters. 
“The last few years, have seen hunter success levels continue to be at or among the highest in the West,” said Brimeyer. “This years harvest survey is further evidence that Wyoming is a great destination for hunting because of the quality hunting experience our state offers.”

Harvest reports for all species for 2016 are available on the Harvest Report webpage and on the Hunt Planner. Harvest reports are detailed to the area, sex, and age class for each species, and can be useful for hunters planning their 2017 hunts. Game and Fish thanks hunters who returned their harvest surveys.
Game and Fish personnel are available to assist anyone with questions about these reports or questions about hunting in the fall. Deadlines for resident elk, deer, and antelope and non-resident deer and antelope are May 31. Contact a regional office or call the Sportsperson Hotline at (307) 777-4600.

 Ask Game and Fish

This week’s question is for Janet Milek, public information specialist in the Casper region.

 Q: Janet, what will women learn at the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) camp Game and Fish is organizing?

A: BOW is an international education program that was developed to provide opportunities for women to learn or enhance their skills in the outdoors; but we’ve found that women gain more than just traditional outdoor expertise. 
Women can expect to learn skills related to hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and other outdoor activities in an introductory, non-intimidating environment, but what happens at BOW beyond learning the skills is what makes this experience special. Participants meet other women with the same interests and often become lifelong friends. They gain confidence to go afield on their own. They learn skills that often help them reconnect with family members or even finally learn how to take their kids fishing. The transformation that happens over the three day workshop is amazing to witness and even greater to be a part of.
We hope you will learn more and apply for BOW before the April 15 deadline.