4-15 IAN Liar Barton
According to an e-mail I got Idaho’s chief veterinarian Dr. Bill Barton is a liar. I’m David Sparks I’ll be right back with that story. I recently received this e-mail in response to a story on brucellosis transferred between bison and cattle. It says “The quote by Idaho's Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Bill Barton, concerning the transmission of brucellosis form bison to cattle, IS A LIE! He goes on to say that it is contagious to either species, equally, is a TRUE STATEMENT!
This lie has been repeated, printed, and people that have said it quoted in other articles. This LIE has been told by the highest level officials of APHIS. BRUCELLOSIS HAS NEVER, EVER BEEN TRANSMITTED TO CATTLE FROM BISON, IN THE WILD! At a College in Texas, in the late 90's, brucellosis was transmitted to a cow using placental material from bison. However, the qualifier to this experiment was the vast amount of material that was fed to the cow, to finally produce a brucellosis titer. This is just an example of "junk research" where the extreme amount fed, the duration of the feeding, and the eventual outcome provided no significant knowledge to the brucellosis disease, or debate.
If and when the officials make statements, reporters should ask for documentation. The misinformation that is used as truth, with the brucellosis at Yellowstone, overshadows rational debate and the ability to provide a solution.
Dewayne Brake
Director of Research