Texas A&M AgriLife Extension released a new fact sheet, “Wildlife Monitoring and Management for New World Screwworm,” to help Texans protect wildlife. Experts from AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department developed the science-based guide. It provides urban and rural residents with instructions to detect and report possible infestations in free-ranging wildlife.
Protecting Vulnerable Wildlife
“Wildlife are vital for ecosystem health,” said Marcus Blum, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist. “Over 100 mammal species in Texas face risk if screwworms return. This guide helps Texans safeguard them.” Blum noted that white-tailed deer, mule deer, black bears, and other warm-blooded animals, including birds, can suffer from infestations.
Roel Lopez, Ph.D., co-author, explained that monitoring and treating free-ranging wildlife is difficult. “Wild animals avoid humans, so infestations can cause large-scale mortalities. Educating people helps prevent outbreaks,” he said. Lopez and Phillip Kaufman, Ph.D., previously helped eradicate screwworms in Florida in 2016.
Understanding and Reporting Screwworms
The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, lays eggs in living animals’ wounds. Larvae burrow into flesh, causing severe damage and sometimes death. The fly once devastated livestock and wildlife across the southern U.S. before eradication in the 1960s.
The fly has moved northward from Central America through Mexico, prompting multiagency preparation in case it reappears in the U.S. Texans should report suspected infestations immediately, even though no cases currently exist in the state.
