The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Wednesday it confirmed the first detection of the carnivorous parasite, the New World screwworm, in U.S. wildlife in an elk in Pecos County, Texas.
The elk was located on a game ranch and was reported after being harvested by a hunter, the USDA said in a statement.
The Texas Animal Health Commission will modify a previously established infested area, and the USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are conducting additional wildlife monitoring in the area, the USDA said.
“We encourage all hunters and landowners to be alert for signs of New World butcherworm when in the field this season,” Texas Division of Wildlife Director Alan Cain said in a statement.
Eradicated from the United States decades ago, the pest spread north from Central America to Mexico, prompting Washington to impose a more than year-long ban on Mexican cattle imports.
The United States halted livestock imports from Mexico last year to keep out the butcher worm, but resumed trade in August at an Arizona port as part of a phased reopening plan.
The shutdown reduced the supply of livestock in the United States and pushed beef prices to record highs for American consumers.
Despite these efforts, the butcher caterpillar was detected in June on a calf in Zavala County, Texas, located near the U.S.-Mexico border. Since then, dozens of cases have been detected in the United States this year, including in a horse and a dog.
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