The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a new temporary Cattle Fever Tick Preventative Quarantine Area in South Texas. The area is adjacent to the habitat of a wild herd of Nilgai antelope known to be infected by disease-laden ticks, according to Southwest Farm Press.
The wide-roaming Nilgai along the South Texas border are tick infested and are expanding their range due to growth in their population. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have set into a motion a Nilgai herd reduction plan that calls for population control on property directly across the Rio Grande River from Mexico.
TAHC is creating a temporary preventative quarantine area (TPQA) in Cameron County until it’s determined to be no longer at risk of infestation. Within this area, all livestock and wildlife capable of hosting fever ticks are subject to movement restrictions, inspections and treatment as prescribed by TAHC fever tick regulations.
Bovine babesiosis, commonly known as Texas cattle fever, is a cattle disease transmitted by cattle fever ticks. It results in a rapid death rate of up to 90 percent of infected cattle.