A RCTIC CIRCULA NO. I Notes on a trip in l6-foot ... - The Arctic Circle

VOL. XV No. 3 THE A<strong>RCTIC</strong> CIRCTJLAR 44
Cn Septemb er 27 the Minister of Agrlculture slgned a
quarantine order covering a large s egmert of the country between
Great Slave Lake and the 50tfr parallel. Thie had the effect of
prohibiting the carriage of bison or bison products out of the area.
The public in nearby settl.ements were ir:formed of the action by
the press and by ra.dio announcements "
Altogethe r 281 blson were found dead in a 700 -square-mlle
area (60o 35N", llzo 15w. to 610 iON., 113) l5w.) and 8 sick anlmals
were shoi for examination" In the summer months the bison in this
area on the east skie of the Slave Rlver, are lsolated from the rest
of the animals in ti:e park, but unfortunately this is not the case ln
the winter rvhen the anLrnals can c ros s the river on the ice "
The control operation was of considerable magnitude. An
outbreak in dornestLc llvestoc k can be re iauiveiy easiry controlled,
as infected carcasEies are found quickly and burned or llmed and
burled, other livestock are inoculated, and a iigirt quarantine placed
around the outbreak. In l','ild auimais , wh!.ch rnay be widely scattered
in dens ely forested areas or '-n meadows i.n country difficult to travel
through n the proble::i is :nuch r:rore iifficult " However, the stepe
taken to control tne out'break in biso1l were ess e:'itlally g6u 6ame as
employed with dornest'lc a:rirna,ls . Carcass es were limed and burled
under ei.ght feet of so11. Thcse -*rhici: couLC:roi'5e buried were burned
until nothing bu'; ash remaii:ed ano'ihe ash rvas then limed. An
attempt was rnade to bui:n the entire Lrrfec1:eC, area to discourage the
animals frorri retr:rni::g io lt" br:t thin pro.recl irrpossl'ole because
of the wetness of ti.e grou::o ani vegetatio:: " inoculation of survlvlng
blson was not posc',.bLe"
The field rartlcs djni:c.rsi:rg the ca.rca$ses were under the
suPervi.sioa cf Ilr. \TiLiiam lrTc l't.cn, a fed-e.raL f)epartrnent of Agrlculture
veterlnaiian,, B1' /,.ugus'- LA, fclty me::, iir''e caterpiiLar tractors,
two bombardier $lo';vrr:cir:.ies, a'na or:e h r::rbardie.i muskeg tractor
were on, the $c€x13 ?;3d a.rr ietla.tcd base camp set up, Using a
hellcopter, a cl'ev/ slci';eci anci fLaggcd ei'or)r buffalo carcass that
could be founci. Dt-sncsai c j the :ai.ca ss es w;,. j coninleted by
S eptember 5 anri bu:ni::g cperat:.on$ ceas ed or Cctobe r 4 , Durlng the
entlre oFerati.on :t:lct n:easures -.,i/e:'e take:r to ensure the good health
of crews by decontarnh.atlng elcthing and all equipment, i:ncluding
bulldozers and l:elicopters ^ Hor,,uver, two me.r, vrho were employed
ln the initia} stages of ti:e or:tbreak before 'r;l:e disease was diagnosed,
contracted anthrax^ Because cf orompt rnedical action both men
recovered"