With the rapid influx of residents to Idaho, it is growing more nettlesome trying to arrange for the proper disposal of dead animals, experts say.
Last year, Donnelly veterinarian Bill Barton was asked to handle an unusual case.A rancher brought Barton sick dogs that had eaten the carcass of a horse that had been put to sleep. The dogs dug up the carcass and were poisoned by the fetid meat. They survived.
"We're losing some of our ability to dispose of animals," said Bob Hillman, a state Department of Agriculture veterinarian.
The problem was never more evident than last September, when 22 cattle carcasses were buried by a rancher 100 yards from Cascade Reservoir, threatening the water quality. The cattle died after drinking water from the reservoir during a toxic algae bloom.
Instead of hauling the carcasses to a landfill or having them cremated or rendered, the process of turning the remains into meat and bone meal, they were buried near their place of death.
And burying is risky, officials say, because of the potential for environmental damage.
Toxins from a drugged horse, for instance, could leach into the soil. Or predators who have eaten a diseased carcass could spread the sickness.
And as local landfills are closing, the state is searching for innovative methods for disposal.
"When we had (less than) a million people in the state, there was a lot of open country out there," said Hillman, a member of a statewide committee searching for solutions. "Where you used to have farm after farm, you now have 40 houses between the farms."
In the Boise area, ranchers have few problems because a rendering service hauls most carcasses away. But there are no such services in outlying areas.
Hillman said the committee, in its first year, has yet to find suitable solutions.
Smaller pets are less of a concern. Most areas have crematoriums to accommodate them. And game such as elk and deer is handled differently, said Larry Jindrich, Idaho Fish and Game officer in McCall.
Animals seized from hunters are distributed as meat for the needy, Jindrich said. Those killed by vehicles are dispersed in the forest land for predators.
"They are usually cleaned up in two days," Jindrich said. "Nature does the best job of all."