Oklahoma Transports Infected Wild BLM Foals To Research Facility - Action Concludes 1998 BLM Roundup

A six month long effort to end an unprecedented outbreak of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in Utah concluded today, when 12 young wild horses representing the last infected horses in the state were transported to a research facility in Oklahoma.

Eleven of the 12 foals were among a total of 127 wild and free roaming horses on BLM and Ute Indian Tribal land in Eastern Utah that tested positive for EIA. One foal recently tested negative for the disease. Because there is no known treatment for EIA and the animals remain carriers , they must either be euthanised or sent out of state for slaughter.

State Veterinarian, Dr. Michael R. Marshall, lifted the quarantine placed on the foals allowing their shipment out of Utah in sealed transport trailers. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture's assistant state veterinarian accompanied the shipment to safeguard biosecurity measures. State departments of agriculture in Colorado and Kansas have given permission for the horses to be transported through their states. The foals were taken to a research facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma where the effects of the disease will be studied. Under federal law, diseased horses may only be transported across state lines for research purposes or for slaughter.

"The conclusion of the roundup and the movement of the foals now brings to an end this very important program to protect the health of equine in Utah," said Dr. Marshall. "This program was a success, thanks to the cooperation of the various agencies and private horse-related groups in Utah and around the country," Marshall added.

Dr. Marshall said he was hopeful that the disease has now been eradicated from the state, and he plans to gather and test a representative sample of horses next year as a precaution. The foals became the subject of a temporary restraining order filed by the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros against the BLM. The foals, as well as their mothers, tested positive for EIA. It is possible that the foals tested positive because of antibodies transferred in the colostrum from their mothers, and that, if given enough time, the foals may eventually test negative.

While in Utah, the foals and their mothers presented a threat to healthy horses, mules and burros because there was no facility to house them and increased moisture contributed to higher numbers of disease transmitting flies and mosquitoes. Utah's horse industry contributes more than $300 million to the state's economy.

The discovery of the equine disease last February in a privately owned herd prompted a large-scale round up and testing effort by the State of Utah, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Ute Indian Nation.

The Ute Indian Tribe will continue to gather about 100 remaining horses located in a remote area of their reservation. The horses are not believed to be infected.