MO considers an elk restoration project and may get wild elk from KY or TN
Facts
1. KY Wildlife Officials imported elk for restoration from states that have a known CWD problem. Once they had received all of the elk needed for their restoration project, they influenced regulations that not only stopped farmers from importing healthy elk and deer but also stopped farmers from other states from traveling across KY with elk or deer going to another state.
2. TN Wildlife Officials imported elk for restoration from Elk Island in Canada and this is a high fenced government run game farm with a long history of disease issues. Also, some of the elk released in KY have migrated into TN and VA possibly spreading disease.
3. Both KY and TN Wildlife Officials placed their state's livestock producers at risk for disease when they imported and released elk that had not been properly tested and monitored for several different diseases.
4. The Government Wildlife Agencies in KY and TN are not interested in elk but instead are interested in the money that can be generated by raffling off hunts for these animals. By TN's own estimates, they expected to make $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 per bull through their get rich quick scheme and they had no problems with risking the state's other wildlife and livestock, subjecting them to disease.
Does MO really want to consider importing wild elk from KY or TN knowing that these animals are originally from areas with known disease problems? DO NOT ALLOW ANY ELK TO BE IMPORTED INTO MO THAT DOES NOT MEET THE SAME HEALTH REGULATIONS THAT ELK FARMERS HAVE TO MEET, NO WAIVERS OR EXCEPTIONS.
Facts
1. KY Wildlife Officials imported elk for restoration from states that have a known CWD problem. Once they had received all of the elk needed for their restoration project, they influenced regulations that not only stopped farmers from importing healthy elk and deer but also stopped farmers from other states from traveling across KY with elk or deer going to another state.
2. TN Wildlife Officials imported elk for restoration from Elk Island in Canada and this is a high fenced government run game farm with a long history of disease issues. Also, some of the elk released in KY have migrated into TN and VA possibly spreading disease.
3. Both KY and TN Wildlife Officials placed their state's livestock producers at risk for disease when they imported and released elk that had not been properly tested and monitored for several different diseases.
4. The Government Wildlife Agencies in KY and TN are not interested in elk but instead are interested in the money that can be generated by raffling off hunts for these animals. By TN's own estimates, they expected to make $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 per bull through their get rich quick scheme and they had no problems with risking the state's other wildlife and livestock, subjecting them to disease.
Does MO really want to consider importing wild elk from KY or TN knowing that these animals are originally from areas with known disease problems? DO NOT ALLOW ANY ELK TO BE IMPORTED INTO MO THAT DOES NOT MEET THE SAME HEALTH REGULATIONS THAT ELK FARMERS HAVE TO MEET, NO WAIVERS OR EXCEPTIONS.
