Monkeypox Fears Force Ban on Prairie Dogs

AP ^ | 6/11/03 | DANIEL YEE

[Pro-Bush]

The saga continues...

[mvpel]

http://www.jimriverguideservice.com/prairiedoghunting.html

South Dakota prairie dog hunting is legendary. I have heard reports stating that South Dakota has more prairie dogs than the rest of the country combined. To the South Dakota prairie dog hunter, that means an awful lot of long range target shooting!

Prairie dogs offer sportsmen countless hours of entertainment. We can set up within 200 yards of prairie dog towns or set up out past 500 yards for a real long range challenge. You can expect shots of less than 100 yards to as far as you can see. Either way, prairie dog shooting is an excellent way to sharpen all of your shooting skills that you will need when you go after that big buck this fall, settle in for that 400 yard shot on your elk across the canyon, or prepare yourself for that 100 yard shot on the great Alaskan Grizzly/Brown Bear. The best practice a person can do for your dream hunts is taking shots at game at varying distances.

Prairie dogs are small targets that will stand still, often times give you a few chances, and seem to replenish themselves as the day goes on. I keep the pickup close by with your gear and refreshments in the cooler. We don't drink alcohol while shooting but you are more than welcome when the day is done. I also provide tarps to lay on for prone shooting and benches for bench rest shooting.

[vetvetdoug]

Finally some common sense; get rid of the exotic pets (pests). With exotics, one is playing russian roulette with zoonotic disease and potentially creating a ruinous situation to our own ecosystem within the US. What the hell are we doing with Gambian Rats when one can own a Louisiana nutrient as a pet? Besides, you can eat the nutrient if one cannot housebreak it.

[SJSAMPLE]

I may be misinformed or just panicky (sp?), but why in hell do we allow ANY animals (other than zoo critters) to be imported into the US. Maybe I've seen too many USA and Lifetime movies, but I don't want to be infected by a SARS/Ebola-laden howler monkey.

BTW, Prairie Dogs are for target practice, not pets.

[Paul Atreides]

All prairie dogs?

[FairOpinion]

Actually it is really peculiar, that all this backlash is focuses on prairie dogs, instead of importation of exotic animals.

Those prairie dogs got monkey pox from the imported Gambian rat, and I haven't heard anyone banning importation of animals from Africa, where this originated.

[aristeides]

Incredibly fast for a bureaucracy to react. This was recognized as monkeypox over the weekend.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

The U.S. government banned the sale of prairie dogs, prohibited the importation of African rodents and recommended smallpox shots Wednesday for people exposed to monkeypox, the exotic African disease that has spread from pet prairie dogs to humans.

From the first paragraph...

I am all for freedom, and I don't know if the government should ban what people own as pets, haven't studied the issue, much. However, if they are going to ban prarie dogs, then they should ban ferrets, next... icky little creatures.

[henderson field]

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.

[FairOpinion]

"prohibited the importation of African rodents "
---

I didn't see this one. This makes sense, but considering that prairie dogs got the disease from an imported rat, I don't see why they would ban them, although prairie dogs indeed can spread disease, but so can rabbits.

While I wouldn't want to own a prairie dog, but I think banning prairie dogs as a result of an illness brought here by an imported pet doesn't make any sense. How do we know that some rabbits which were at the same store at the same time didn't catch it, or how about any cats and dogs they had?

[rintense]

They shouldn't be pets anyway.

[rintense]

A dog was tested for monkeypox at my vet today. Thank God it was negative.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Euthanize all of the animals that were in the store, at the same time.

[iceskater]

This is very fast action indeed.

And, I guess we have Saddam to thank for getting the smallpox vaccines back in production. Had the whole WMD not happened, we wouldn't have been ready to deal with this situation as quickly as we were.

[LouD]

Why would anyone keep a prairie dog as a pet? Do they have a 300 meter target range in the basement?

[Trust but Verify]

Maybe they're trying to prevent the next catastrophe: Pet prairie dogs spreading plague.

[IYAAYAS]

It is peculiar indeed. Unless someone has told the government that they had already released a sick animal, maybe within scurrying distance to a colony.

OR...tin foil alert!!! It really is a smallpox outbreak, what an excellent cover story to start smallpox innoculations without creating a panic. Look for more people being recomended fo innoculation.

We're up to 50 right? from 19 48 hours ago.

[Pro-Bush]

Maybe I've seen too many USA and Lifetime movies, but I don't want to be infected by a SARS/Ebola-laden howler monkey.

[Pro-Bush]

Why would anyone keep a prairie dog as a pet? Do they have a 300 meter target range in the basement?

too funny..

[aristeides]

St. Louis Hospital Treats Suspected Monkeypox Case.