Caribou concern remote

But foot and mouth disease could infect herds

Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Apr 23/01) - The chance of foot and mouth disease ravaging the territory's one million caribou is remote, but not out of the question says a wildlife expert.

Approximately 300 international flights stop in Iqaluit each year and passengers on those flights could bring the disease that's ravaging sheep and cattle populations in England into Nunavut.

Background Cold temperatures make Nunavut an unlikely breeding ground for foot and mouth disease (FMD). The last reported case of FMD in Canada was in 1952. Several thousand cows, pigs and sheep in Saskatchewan were destroyed. 1,004 confirmed cases of FMD were reported in Great Britain as of April, 4, 2001. Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Brett Elkin, biologist with Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, cautioned against premature hysteria.

"It's a possibility but it's never been reported. There are a lot of big 'ifs,'" Elkin said.

Although typically found in cows and sheep, foot and mouth disease (FMD) could strike caribou and elk.

The disease can be spread on contaminated clothing or footwear. The airborne virus may survive for up to two weeks, depending on temperature and environment.

"FMD has never been reported in caribou but that's not to say it couldn't happen. That's why protective measures are put in place," said Elkin.

So far that has meant stopping FMD from entering the country, said Patrick Charette, media relations officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

No cases of FMD have been reported in Canada. The contagious virus which presents itself as blisters on an animal's mouth and hooves attacks the immune system, making an animal vulnerable to secondary infections and possible death.

At this point, brucellosis poses a bigger threat to caribou, said Mike Ferguson, a wildlife biologist for the Baffin region of the Department of Sustainable Development.

Brucellosis is a bacteria destroying an animal's reproductive organs and joints. It rarely kills caribou but their weakened health makes them vulnerable to prey.

While people disembarking flights from Europe at Canada's 14 international airports have to walk over disinfectant carpets, no such precaution has taken place in Iqaluit.

"There is supposed to be (carpets) if there are flights are from abroad," Charette said. "I'll have to look into it."

Canadian Customs confirmed 338 flights from Europe and the United States touched down at the Iqaluit International Airport in 2000. Passengers commonly disembark from the plane during stop overs.