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 as officials try to stop the spread of New World screwworm.
- The parasite has crossed from Mexico into the United States for the first time in 60 years, and federal officials have closed the border to cattle movements.
- Because the screwworm can infect pets, 44 states have restricted movement of animals from infested areas of Texas.
- Shelters in Texas that usually send animals to other states are facing crowded conditions, and some say the limits could lead to more euthanizations.
- In Corpus Christi, a shelter said it was unable to send rescued dogs to New York for weeks, which raised its animal population sharply.
Texas shelters are holding back adoptions and transfers for thousands of dogs and cats because of concerns about New World screwworm, an insect that has reached the United States from Mexico for the first time in 60 years. The outbreak has already prompted federal restrictions on cattle movements because of the threat to the beef industry.
The same parasite can infect pets, so many states have limited the movement of animals from affected parts of Texas. That has disrupted the usual flow of shelter animals to other regions of the country, leaving some Texas shelters crowded.
Shelter workers said the restrictions have complicated operations at both large and small rescue organizations. In some cases, shelters have had to wait weeks before animals could be moved out of state, and some said the pressure on space increases the risk that municipal shelters will have to euthanize more animals.
A shelter in Corpus Christi said it could not send rescued dogs to New York for weeks until the state again allowed the animals to enter with veterinary certification that they were not infected. The situation is a practical setback for shelters, with a neutral impact on broader markets aside from the indirect livestock-related concern already tied to the outbreak.
新世界螺旋蝇担忧使得得克萨斯州宠物领养暂停
由于担心新世界螺旋蝇扩散，得克萨斯州收容所暂停了成千上万只狗和猫的领养和转运。该寄生虫从墨西哥进入美国，是60年来首次出现，联邦层面已因其对牛肉产业的威胁而限制活牛跨境运输。
由于这种寄生虫也可能感染宠物，多个州限制了来自得州受影响地区的动物流动。这打乱了得州收容所把动物送往美国其他地区的惯常安排，也让一些收容所面临拥挤压力。
收容所工作人员表示，这些限制让大小救助机构都受到影响。部分收容所不得不等待数周才能将动物送出州外，一些机构称，空间压力上升会增加市政收容所实施安乐死的风险。
科珀斯克里斯蒂的一家收容所说，在纽约州重新允许相关动物进入、但要求兽医证明未感染之前，它有数周无法把救助犬送过去。就更广泛市场而言，这则消息的直接影响偏中性，但与其引发的畜牧业担忧相关的间接压力仍然存在。