Concerns about the New World screwworm have put Texas pet adoptions on hold
- Adoptions for thousands of dogs and cats in Texas have been put on hold because officials are trying to stop the spread of the New World screwworm, which has entered the United States from Mexico for the first time in 60 years.
- The parasite can infect mammals, including pets, and has already been found in several dogs among dozens of infections in southern Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
- Forty-four states have restricted the movement of pets from infested areas, which has disrupted the usual transfer of shelter animals from Texas to other parts of the country.
- Shelters say the limits are causing overcrowding and could force more euthanasia if they cannot move animals out and make room for new intakes.
- In Corpus Christi, a shelter said its population rose from about 325 to nearly 450 after it was unable to send rescued dogs to New York for weeks, though New York later resumed accepting them with veterinary certification.
Texas shelters have paused adoptions and transfers for thousands of dogs and cats as states respond to the spread of the New World screwworm, a parasite that crossed into the United States from Mexico for the first time in six decades. The outbreak has also prompted federal restrictions on cattle movement because of the threat to the beef industry.
Because the screwworm can infect pets as well as livestock, 44 states have limited the movement of animals from affected areas. That has disrupted a long-running pattern in which Texas shelters send thousands of animals to other states each year, especially to places where adoption demand is higher.
Shelters say the restrictions are quickly creating crowding. The Houston Humane Society and other rescues have been affected, and one shelter in Corpus Christi said its animal population climbed sharply after it could not move dogs to New York for weeks.
Some states have started allowing pets from Texas again if veterinarians certify they are free of infection. Even so, shelter operators say the outbreak has made it harder to move animals out, take in new ones, and avoid euthanasia when space runs short.
新世界蠓蝇担忧使得得州宠物领养暂停
得州多家收容所已暂停数千只狗和猫的领养与转运，因为各州正应对新世界蠓蝇的扩散。这种寄生虫是60年来首次从墨西哥进入美国，此次疫情也因对肉牛产业构成威胁而引发了联邦层面的牛只运输限制。
由于新世界蠓蝇不仅会感染牲畜，也会感染宠物，44个州已限制来自受影响地区的动物流动。这打乱了得州收容所多年形成的外送机制，过去它们每年会把成千上万只动物送往其他州，尤其是领养需求更高的地区。
收容所表示，这些限制很快就造成了拥挤。休斯敦人道协会及其他救助机构都受到影响，科珀斯克里斯蒂一家收容所说，在几周无法把犬只送往纽约后，收容动物数量明显上升。
目前，一些州在兽医证明动物未感染后已恢复接收来自得州的宠物。但收容所管理者说，这场疫情让把动物送出去、接收新动物以及在空间不足时避免安乐死都变得更加困难。