Wildlife officials who tested nearly 1,600 elk blood samples declared elk are brucellosis-free in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest.
According to the Sheridan Press, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department analyzed more than 17,000 blood samples since the program’s inception in 1994.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. People can get the disease when they are in contact with infected animals or animal products contaminated with the bacteria. Animals that are most commonly infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs, among others.
(Photo source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department)