At least nine beavers and a vole have been found dead across Utah after an unusual outbreak of tularemia, a disease that can also infect and kill humans, cats and dogs. Local wildlife experts are concerned by the unprecedented spread of the disease and have warned people to take precautions.
Tularemia is also a zoonotic disease, meaning that it can jump between animals and humans. People can be infected with tularemia through several different pathways, including tick and deerfly bites, physical contact with infected animals, eating undercooked meat and by drinking contaminated water. Humans can die from the disease if the infection is not treated promptly with antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Four of the beaver carcasses from three separate locations — Swaner preserve, Midway and Birdseye — were sent for testing at Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the Utah Public Health Lab, and three of the specimens tested positive for tularemia, according to UDWR. There is therefore a high chance that the others also died from the disease.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Cases of tularemia are occasionally reported in animals and in humans across the U.S. but are normally isolated to a single animal or location. The last reported case of the disease killing wildlife in Utah was in 2017, when a single rabbit was found dead.