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Wolf Dog Coalition - Summary of April 2, 1997 Meeting with USDA
Meeting With USDA at the Whitten Building, Washington DC
Attendees:
Dr Miller, Staff Veterinarian USDA / APHIS Veterinary Biologics
Dr Espeseth, Deputy Administrator USDA / APHIS Veterinary Biologics
Gene Sydnor, Wolf Dog Coalition
Diana Bendit, Wolf Dog Coalition
Nicholas E. Federoff, Wildlife Biologist
Dr Frederic Kueppers, Molecular Biologist
Dr Raymond Pierotti, Evolutionary Biologist
Ted Cartwright, Legislative Aide to Congressman Frank Wolf
A member of the USDA Congressional Liaison's office
A member of the US House of Representatives Agency Liaison's office
The meeting opened with introductions. The Wolf Dog Coalition asked USDA if they approved vaccines by species, the answer was yes. We asked if the USDA had any evidence to preclude current taxonomic classification that wolves and dogs are of the same species, no answer. We asked this question several times throughout the meeting as well as asking if the USDA had ANY evidence to show that the current killed rabies vaccine would not be effective in wolves and or wolf dog crosses. The answer we received was that the ONLY evidence they had was that the some of the scientists at the panel meeting last year (1996) cautioned against using modified live vaccines such as parvo, distemper, adenovirus and parainfluenza on wild wolves. We argued this point because we attended the panel meeting last year and our recollection was different.
There was a great deal of debate on the issues. We came away from the meeting with this new information and a possibility of a resolution to the rabies issue that our Congressman's office expects can be accomplished within 6 months.
2) USDA / APHIS is satisfied with the evidence submitted to them on the rabies vaccine and no longer requires any information regarding its safety and efficacy in wolves or wolf dog crosses.
3) To attain approval of the current killed rabies vaccine USDA / APHIS requires.
B) The requirement will be limited to the safe use of current canine modified live vaccines (parvo, distemper, adenovirus and parainfluenza) in pure and nearly pure wolves only. (don't ask me what a near pure is, I don't know)
Copyright © 1996-1998 Wolf Dog Coalition. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint this letter in its entirety granted.