The Texas Animal Health Commission is now enforcing a quarantine for warm-blooded animals in 10 counties across the state due to a rise in New World screwworm cases. Austin Wildlife Rescue announced it is now unable to bring in rescued animals from the affected areas.
The counties listed in the quarantine are Edwards, Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, Sutton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb and Zavala. The closest county to the Austin area — Gillespie — is about 70 miles west of the city. The quarantine is for only the affected parts of each county, not its entirety.
Local animal shelters can still accept cold-blooded reptiles like lizards and tortoises. The executive director of Austin Wildlife Rescue, Jules Maron, said the shelter receives only a few animals from those counties each year, and it does not significantly impact its operations.
The idea behind the quarantine, according to Maron, is to limit the transport of animals and, hopefully, reduce the spread of screwworm.
"I think that the writing is kind of on the wall with this," Maron said. "Unfortunately, we're dealing with a fly. So, it's gonna be able to fly to wherever it needs to go here and lay eggs in wounds on animals."
The New World screwworm fly is able to lay eggs in open wounds, even small ones, and burrow into the living tissue, leading to its name, "screwworm," said Debbie Elliott, the chief veterinarian for Austin Animal Services.
One of the best forms of prevention, especially for outdoor pets, is to keep the fly population in your yard as low as possible, Elliott said. Flies are usually attracted to trash, stagnant water and feces, so pet owners should consider cleaning out their yard, she said.
Animal owners who are concerned about their pets should go to their local vets, according to Elizabeth Ferrer, the marketing and communications manager at the city's shelter.
Screwworm is treatable, and veterinarians can give oral medications, like Capstar, to animals. If you take an animal that you suspect has screwworm to the vet, you should wear gloves and cover the exposed area with a cloth, Ferrer said. The vet should then take measures to isolate the animal.
There are currently no reported cases in Travis County, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission website. If there are cases reported and Travis County is placed under a quarantine, the Austin Animal Center is still required by law to accept animals because it is a municipal shelter, Ferrer said.
It is unclear what the procedure for warm-blooded animal intakes would be at the Austin Wildlife Rescue if the county is quarantined, Maron said. As for now, Maron said she is planning to meet with Texas Parks and Wildlife next week to decide on the right approach for the rescue, which takes in more than 10,000 animals each year.
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