Web posted Friday, August 19, 2005

Anthrax epidemic strikes Great Plains cattle

ENDERLIN, N.D. (AP) — An anthrax outbreak has killed hundreds of cattle in parts of the Great Plains, forcing quarantines and devastating ranchers who worry how they will recover financially.

More than 300 animals in North Dakota have died from anthrax in what officials call the worst outbreak among livestock in state history. In South Dakota, at least 200 cattle have been killed. Two ranches in Texas were quarantined last month after anthrax was found in cattle, horses and deer, officials said.

Allen Lambrecht lost nine cows, or about $9,000, along with the value of future calves.

‘‘It got to where you didn’t want to get up in the morning,’’ said Lambrecht, whose family has farmed in North Dakota for three generations. ‘‘You would get up and go out and see what was left.’’

Although anthrax didn’t gain public notoriety until the still-unsolved mailing attacks that left five people dead in 2001, farmers have been dealing with the disease for decades. Spores that cause anthrax can sit dormant in the ground for as long 100 years, said Charles Stoltenow, an extension veterinarian at North Dakota State University.