State quarantine directives related to the New World screwworm have led Austin Wildlife Rescue to stop accepting birds and mammals from seven Texas counties, CBS Austin reported.
What’s happening?
Under Texas Animal Health Commission quarantine orders, Austin Wildlife Rescue said it will not take in mammals or birds from Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, Uvalde, Webb, and Zavala counties. It said reptiles from those counties, including turtles, tortoises, snakes, and lizards, are still being accepted.
To try to contain the parasite, health officials created four infested zones after confirming five New World screwworm cases in the state.
Zone 3, the affected area closest to Austin, includes Gillespie, Kerr, and Kimble counties. Officials established it after the parasite was found in a goat in Harper, per CBS Austin…