Bunting Down stock Killers. 



293 



and public lands, where predatory animals were causing 

 heavy losses of live stock. Great added impetus and in- 

 tensity of purpose were given this work by the appearance, 

 spread, and dread destructiveness of rabies, which gained a 

 foothold, particularly among coyotes and wild cats, in south- 

 western Idaho. To effect the suppression of rabies among 

 wild animals Congress provided an emergency appropria- 

 tion of $75,000, which became available March 4, 1916. 



Suppression of Rabies. 



Special work for the suppression of rabies, made possible 

 through the emergency appropriation, was conducted under 

 the supervision, organization, and methods that were fol- 

 lowed in the regular predatory-animal operations. The 

 alarming increase of rabies among wild animals, particularly 

 coyotes, was attended with danger to live stock and also to 

 human beings. The seriousness of the outbreak is indi- 

 cated by the fact that during the year the State authorities 

 of Nevada treated more than GO persons who were bitten by 

 either wild or domestic animals. So great was the dread in- 

 spired by the presence of these maddened wild animals that 

 children were accompanied to school by armed guards. 

 Driven by their rabid blindness, coyotes entered the yards of 

 dwellings, attacking dogs, cats, human occupants, or any 

 object they might encounter; they entered feed lots and 

 snapped and infected cattle, sheep, and other domestic ani- 

 mals; and also attacked pedestrians, horsemen, and automo- 

 biles on the public highways. The destruction of live stock 

 was enormous. In a feed lot at Winnemucca, New, a single 

 rabid coyote caused the loss of 27 steers. The State of 

 Nevada promptly appropriated $30,000 to cooperate with 

 the Survey in waging a campaign against the pests in that 

 State. The work was prosecuted vigorously through trap- 

 ping and extended poisoning operations, the spread of the 

 disease was materially checked, and plans were further de- 

 veloped for its limitation and ultimate suppression. 



The movements of live stock between their summer and 

 winter pasture ranges, with accompanying movements of 

 dogs and predatory animals, made possible an extension of 

 the disease into the contiguous territory of eastern Oregon, 

 southern Idaho, northern California, the western half of 

 Utah, and even into eastern Washington. Cattle and sheep 



