BY CHRIS ZDEB, EDMONTON JOURNAL
Thousands of wild animals in northern and central Alberta fell victim to poison pellets and cyanide guns during a government campaign to stamp out rabies.
It was the first time Albertans were exposed to the viral disease and the provincial and federal governments responded with a two-pronged plan: an all-out educational program to prevent human cases, avert hysteria, and correct misinformation that abounds during a disease outbreak; and an aggressive and extensive depopulation program against wildlife predators, mostly wolves, foxes, and coyotes that were spreading rabies.
Today, rabies is most often transmitted by bats, skunks and foxes.
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
One hundred and eighty people were treated against rabies as a precautionary measure after they were bitten by rabid animals, but no human developed the disease.
The stats were reported by the Alberta Central Rabies Control Committee. The committee and rabies control program were initiated in the fall of 1952 due to rabid foxes bringing the disease in from the Northwest Territories.
The first case was reported June 8, 1952 at Fort Fitzgerald in the northeast corner of the province, within a few kilometres of the N.W.T. border. A wild red fox entered the village and bit four dogs, three of which developed rabies. By February 1953, the disease had spread to the Lethbridge area, approximately 1,207 km from Fort Fitzgerald.
The other closest known point of infection was Wetaskiwin, 64 km south of Edmonton.
Most of the rabid animals found in the farming areas south of Edmonton were isolated cases, mainly involving coyotes and dogs.
Forest rangers reported that during June and July, cyanide guns and poison pellets had killed 597 foxes, 110 wolves, 1,232 coyotes, 306 bears (trapped when they came out of hibernation), 277 lynx, 113 skunks, seven badgers and four cougars.
The committee estimated those figures represented only about one-third of the animals actually killed.
The provincial health department reported that the number of people suspected of having rabies had dropped off sharply in recent months. There had been very few recent precautionary inoculations.
The committee decided to continue the control campaign until coyotes and fox pups began making their dens. At that point they expected to have a good idea of how many wild animals they would have to cope with over the winter.
Large numbers of coyotes preying near the outskirts of some northern communities suggested the campaign would have to continue in most agricultural areas, Dr. E. E. Ballantyne, the committee chairman said.
From November 1952 to April 1955, 55,499 foxes, 50,781 coyotes, 9,927 lynx, 5,271 wolves, 3,827 bears, 664 skunks, 69 cougars, and 18 fishers were killed in forested areas.