Janet wrote:
>
> "In the United States, M. bovis is endemic in white-tailed deer
> (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northeastern portion of Michigan and
> northern Minnesota, and sporadic import of the disease from Mexico. Only
> the white-tailed deer has been confirmed as a maintenance host in the
> Michigan outbreak of bovine tuberculosis, although other mammals such as
> raccoons (Procyon lotor), opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and coyotes
> (Canis latrans) can serve as spill-over and dead-end hosts. The fact
> that white-tailed deer are a maintenance host for M. bovis remains a
> significant barrier to the US nationwide eradication of the disease in
> livestock. In 2008, 733,998 licensed deer hunters harvested
> approximately 489,922 white-tailed deer in attempts to control the
> disease spread."
>
> Janet.

So.... cattle with this disease are unhealthy and have to be
destroyed, yet our govt. issued 733,998 deer stamps so hunters can
kill them and store the meat in their freezers for family and
friends? hmmmm...

G.