The USDA said the first New World screw worm detection in US wildlife was found in an elk in Pecos county, Texas. The animal was on a game ranch and was reported after being killed by a hunter.
The Texas animal health commission will modify the infested zone, while the USDA and the Texas parks and wildlife department are carrying out additional wildlife surveillance in the area. Alan Cain, Texas wildlife division director, said hunters and landowners need to stay alert while they are out in the field this season.
Pecos county elk detection
Cain said, “We encourage all hunters and landowners to be vigilant for signs of New World screwworm while they are out in the field this season.” That warning now reaches beyond livestock. The pest had already been detected in June on a calf in Texas's Zavala county near the US-Mexico border, before the wildlife case was found in an elk.
The broader sequence is what makes this finding important for Texas. The New World screwworm was eradicated from the US decades ago, but the pest has surged north from Central America through Mexico. Dozens of cases have since been detected in the US this year, including on a horse and on a dog.
Texas surveillance response
The new wildlife finding adds another layer to the response already underway in Texas. The USDA and Texas officials are increasing vigilance after the detection, and the Texas animal health commission is changing the infested zone to match the latest finding. For hunters and landowners, the practical step is simple: watch animals closely and report signs quickly while field activity continues this season.
The US had halted livestock imports from Mexico last year to keep out screwworm, then resumed livestock trade with Mexico in August at an Arizona port as part of a phased reopening plan. That trade history shows how tightly the US has tried to manage the pest’s movement. The latest elk detection in Pecos county now pushes the response into wildlife as well as livestock.
US wildlife case in Texas
The open question is how far the pest has spread in Texas wildlife beyond this single elk. The USDA and the Texas parks and wildlife department are still surveying the area, and the modified infested zone will guide the next set of field checks.
