I just learned that in our area (S. Texas/Mexico) there is a program to vaccinate coyotes wherin live rabies vaccines are encapsulated in a live cowpox(?)virus and are dropped, in a meat chunk of meat, from an airplane in lines criscrossing the countryside. Frankly, though I understand the need for some way to control rabies in wildlife in contact with people, I dont like the way this progrmam looks: Ive researched the whole vaccinosis thing and these issues are huge to me in light of my reading
a.) LIVE virus encapsulated in yet another LIVe virus
b.) coyotes (or any other animal) can eat as many of these things as they can find and hold
c.) the predominate attitude is that "the more the better" and "you cant have too much of a good thing" which is exactly opposite of what Ive found (mutating virus', virus' reproducing themselves, vaccines causing the disease they were meant to stop)

I will see if I can find a website with info (I have this info from an inside source) but am interested in other peoples thoughts. am I the only one who thinks this is a hideous idea and should have been better thought through? even if there is no alternative, Id rather meet a coyote with normal levels of rabies virus, thank you!

Sounds like a terrible idea to me. What if someone's dog ended up getting a chunk of that stuff? And I doubt it's in a chunk of high-quality sirloin, it's probably roadkill or something. Ugh...sometimes people can't see the forest for the trees.

It would be great if you could find a link that explains it.
I have a hard time believing that they would do something that stupid.

Be easier to call them in, dart and vaccinate and then give them a reversal.

But maybe they do not have the same coyotes we have here....hee hee J/K

Its not the first time I have heard of it.

So I have a feeling it has been done before.

I beleave I heard of it on discovery channel a few years ago.

One interesting thing I was told by my vet...
There was a study done to see the effectiveness of the vaccine with both wolves and coyotes, and according to the study there was a "plausible chance that the vaccine had no effect" I wish that it was written in the electronic age, but it was not. I will try to see if I can find it though. From what I understood, the study was done due to concerns with wolf and coyote hybrids. Just an interesting random bit of trivia that I have always wondered about.

You know,I dont know if they even have a website; I looked it up yesterday but I think its one of those programs who will never get any publicity because of its lack of ranking against other issues down here.
However I did learn about it from a doctor who is involved in the planning and coordinating of it.

This happens ALL OVER it's kinda scary. Cameron I've heard the same thing from a wildlife biologist, but couldn't find anything online that confirms this


On a totally unrelated note, Michael Haddon: that is the CUTEST picture ever!

There's lots of info online about this. Here's a current link:

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/news/releases/20080104.shtm

This link describes the vaccine itself:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/rabies/vaccine.html