A Parks Canada scientist is conducting research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) on bovine tuberculosis in bison to improve diagnosis of the disease and to develop better vaccines.
“It’s a difficult issue because there are no easy answers and there are no easy fixes,” said Dr. Todd Shury (PhD), a national wildlife health advisor in the Office of the Chief Ecosystem Scientist with Parks Canada. Shury is also an adjunct professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at USask.
Shury said it’s an issue that needs to be addressed for the conservation of wild bison herds and to protect the cattle and commercial bison industries. Canada is considered free from bovine tuberculosis, and a TB-control program for cattle has been in place since 1924.
“We’ve worked hard to achieve that status. The bison in northern Canada are the last remaining wildlife reservoir of TB in Canada,” said Shury.
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Image via University of Saskatchewan.