The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1915-03-18
BUZZARDS AND
STOCK DISEASES
Man is Chiefly to Blame Ac.
cording TO Scientific
Invest 9 atoms

nun llOh liiC DiOiOS lNdl 0INlolOI
of the Agricultural Department
Washington, ID. C.
There has been much agitation
in recent years against the buz
card as a distributor of no,
cholera and other stock diseases
but those who hope to eradicat,
these epidemics by exterminatinl
the buzzard should not lose sigh
Of the fact that this bird is onl,
one of large number of agent
concerned in the spread of stool
| diseases.
Hog cholera and similar diseas
es are carried in various ways
the chief long distance distribu
ton being by shipment of diseas
ed animals, the local distribution
by mechanical transportation o.
the germs on the feet or other
parts of the body Of various ami
mails, and in the feces Of scaven
gers which have fed of the car
casses of stock killed by disease.
So far as distribution of the
germs Of stock disease in feces is
concerned the buzzard has a bet
ter record than any of the carrier
| feeders. This has been scientific
ally demonstrated by Drs. S. T.
Darling and l.. B. Bates, in Pana-
ma, and DR.. Harry Morris in
Louisiana. (See Amer. Vet. Rev.
AZ, No. /, October, 1912, PIP.
TOTS, and Bulletin 1876, Louisiana
Agricultural Experiment Station,
November, 1922. The investi-
cations reported in these publica-
tons conclusively prove that
spores of anthrax are destroyed in
the digestive tract Of the buzzard,
but that they pass uninjured
through the bodies Of dogs, hogs,
cats, o'possums, chickens, and
flies. In most Of these animals
virulent spores are present in the
alimentary tract and in the feces
from two to six days after carri-
on has been eaten Thus a dog
which has fed ON an animal killed
by anthrax may disseminate
spores of the disease anywhere
that it goes for as many as six
days thereafter. The damage that
may result from the spread of
disease by the multitude of prowl-
ing dogs, cats, and other animals
so numerous on farms, is simply
incalculable. The buzzard, on
the contrary, must be completely
cxonerated from blame for this
type of disease spreading.
Other Means of Distribution
Buzzards undoubtedly some
times carry the germs of stock di-
seases on their feet, but so also do
dogs, cats, chickens, pigeons and
other domestic animals. The di-
seases are distributed also by |
teams, by men, and last, but by no
means lest, by flies.
Since man and all of his domes-
lie animals are known to distri-
)ute stock diseases, it is absurd to
attempt to place the greatest load
If responsibility upon the wild
bird which is never so closely as
ISOLATED with diseased stock.
The comparative unimportance
If the buzzard as carrier Of
stock diseases is further proved
~ the fact that severe epidemics
II hog cholera occur where this
bird is very rare, as in Wisconsin
md eastern Washington and
where it is practically entirely alb
tent as in Ontario. Quebec and
'ther Canadian Provinces.
Summarizing: Hog cholera,
and other contagious
tock diseases rage in countries
where there are no buzzards. This
s absolute proof that extermina-
ion OF the buzzard will not eradi-
,ate these diseases.
In regions where the buzzard
occurs it is only a minor agent in
disease distribution. 1T is the