Queensland Cattle
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
Ticks
Havoc Among N.
Caledonian Herds
From Our Correspondent
Noumea, June 11.
AN epizootic tick, of which this country has hitherto been free, is playing havoc with New Caledonian cattle on both sides of the island. This is creating a serious situation, since the cattle industry, after mining, is the Colony’s largest.
The chief of the Veterinary Service attributes the outbreak to the waiving of quarantine restrictions “when the Japa nese were at our gates” and when the Allied Military Command was more- con cerned with meeting the Nipponese attack than with the possibility of intro ducing dangerous parasites.
He believes that, undoubtedly, the tick was introduced by horses imported from Queensland. It will be recalled that prior to Guadalcanal, a regiment of US cavalry, mostly Texans, were mounted with horses imported from Australia. Incidentally, one of the transports bringing horses here was sunk by enemy action, and several hundred horses were lost.
The US remount depot was situated on the Ducos Peninsula, close to Noumea, and it was from this area that the tick outbreak began to spread among cattle.
In a recent lengthy statement, the chief veterinarian discusses symptoms caused by tick bites, and ways and means of destroying the ticks, which do most damage during the hot season.