New Mexico
Department of Game and Fish Media contact: Rachel Shockley, (505) 476-8071 Public contact:
(888) 248-6866 rachel.shockley@state.nm.us
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE, OCT. 22, 2013:
TOXIC ALGAE CAUSE OF 100 ELK DEATHS IN NORTHEASTERN
NM
SANTA
FE – The Department of Game and Fish has concluded that a toxic algae bloom
caused the deaths of more than 100 elk discovered Aug. 27 in northeastern New
Mexico.
Department
biologists collected tissue samples from the dead elk and water samples from
privately-owned land north of Las Vegas, N.M. The Department sent the samples
to laboratories across the country. A lab found Anabaena, a form of naturally occurring
blue-green algae that produces the deadly neurotoxin, anatoxin-a, in a water
sample. This potent neurotoxin can cause illness and death within four to 12
hours if ingested.
“Based
on circumstantial evidence,” said Kerry Mower, the Department’s wildlife disease
specialist, “the most logical explanation for the elk deaths is that on their
way back to the forest after feeding in the grassland, the elk drank water from
a trough containing toxins created by blue-green algae or cyanobacteria.”
Department
biologists found the dead elk in a one-half mile by three-fourths
mile area, and suspect
that they died within the same 24-hour period. The elk showed signs of having
struggled on the ground, symptoms consistent with poisoning from a neurotoxin.
Although
some types of microscopic blue-green algae produce toxins,
they seldom cause serious problems. During warm weather the algae can reproduce
quickly in standing water, creating a bloom that releases deadly neurotoxins into
the water. The conditions resulting in the elk mortality existed only a short period of
time. Algae blooms occasionally kill livestock and pets, and can sometimes be
harmful to humans.
The
Department investigated a wide variety of possible causes for the elk deaths in
addition to the blue-green algae, including: anthrax, epizootic hemorrhagic
disease, botulism, lighting strike,
poaching, poisonous plants, malicious poisoning, toxic levels of sulfate and
nitrate, and the possibility of an industrial or agricultural accident. The
Department ruled out these causes of death.
No one has
reported dead livestock or wildlife in the
area since August.
Hunters should not harvest animals that exhibit unusual behavior or appear
sick, and should report anything unusual to the Department’s toll-free
information line, (888)
248-6866.
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