Hunters have an important role to play in helping manage the bovine Tb problem in New Zealand.
There are four important rules to remember.
Notify the Animal Health Board, or its local vector manager, if you suspect you have found Tb in wild deer or pigs.
In infected pigs, the infection is mostly confined to the lymph nodes (glands) found just under the jaw, and alongside the intestines. In deer, the lymph nodes behind the throat and at the join between the windpipe and the lungs are the most common site.
The infection will usually be in the form of pus-filled abscesses or lesions that look like whitish lumps.
Where wild animal surveys are being conducted, pig hunters may be paid an incentive to provide pig heads for analysis.
Always dispose of wild carcasses carefully.
Hunters may accidentally spread Tb by taking infected pig or deer carcasses from Tb-risk areas to Tb-free areas.
If the head is dumped, it can be fed on by ferrets, or by possums. The ferrets and possums can then pass the disease on to cattle and deer.
To help reduce this risk:
• Find out the Tb classification of hunting areas before you go hunting. Click here for Vector Risk Area (VRA) map.
• If hunting in a Tb-infected area, assume all wild animals are infected – even if no Tb lesions are visible. Remove the head off carcasses at the place they are killed and leave it behind, as the head and upper neck is the main reservoir for infection. The carcass will then be safer to transport.
• If taking the head or whole carcass out, dispose of it properly, either at an official offal facility, or by negotiating to use a farmer’s offal pit.
Do not transport or release wild animals to new areas.
Hunters may spread Tb by taking pigs or deer from Tb-risk areas and releasing them in Tb-free areas.
This is an illegal practice. It could also undermine regional Tb control efforts.
To help reduce this risk, please do not move live wild animals.
Look after your own health!
While the risk is small, hunters could get Tb when cutting up wild pigs or deer.
To reduce the risk:
• Use disposable thin rubber gloves when cutting up animals
• Wash your hands well (ideally with a disinfectant) before smoking or eating
• Wash your bloodstained hunting clothes and gear separately from other clothes
• Clean your knife often, especially when moving from skinning and gutting the animal to butchering it.
Dogs can also become infected with Tb. Feeding raw pig heads and other bits of offal to your dogs is not recommended.