USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Reports! What to know about African Swine Fever

Courtesy Photo | The wild boar, or Eurasian Wild Pig, has one of the largest geographic ranges of any mammal and can be found in habitats ranging from closed natural and planted forests to open scrublands with some cover. According to www.lhnet.org, wild boars are most active in the early morning and afternoon, though they can become nocturnal in areas where activity usually occurs throughout the night.  

RHEINLAND-PFALZ, GERMANY

09.27.2024

Story by Mary Del Rosario 

U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Recent reports of African Swine Fever, a virus that ONLY affects domestic and wild boars, have raised some concerns recently in Germany.

African Swine Fever is a viral disease that is incurable for wild and domestic pigs/boars and is almost always fatal. The disease is transmitted directly from animal to animal (although indirect transmission is possible, for example via contaminated objects like agricultural equipment, hunting equipment, clothing, feed or food).

While African Swine Fever is not a risk to human or other animals, even when eating meat or sausage products from infected animals, there are a few important things you can keep in mind:

In general:
• If you’re a dog owner, keep your fur baby on a leash to prevent scaring wild boars into uninfected areas.
• Keep trash in sealed containers.

If you run across a boar or group of wild boars:
• Stay calm and don’t approach (don’t try to scare them away).
• Slowly retreat without turning your back.
• Don’t run away.
• If you are walking in/around the forest early in the morning, make some deliberate noise so you don’t surprise the boars, and give them time to move away.

Boars usually avoid human contact and only come into human populated areas to look for food. They are most active in the early mornings/dawn periods and will retreat to their “lairs” in the daytime.

If you find or discover a deceased boar, do NOT touch it, report it:
• ON POST, email the Directorate of Public Works (both Baumholder and Kaiserslautern Military Community) at [e-mail]
• For OFF-POST: Contact the local forestry and report the finding (Kaiserslautern - [e-mail] and Baumholder - [e-mail])
• On Ramstein Air Base, notify the KMC Natural Resource Management office at DSN: 314-478-8411

For more information, head to https://www.bmel.de/EN/topics/animals/animal-health/african-swine-fever.html or check out this informative story from Public Health Command Europe: https://www.army.mil/article/278759/african_swine_fever_in_europe_what_to_know#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20absolutely%20no%20reason,infected%20pig%20or%20wild%20boar.

USAG Rheinland-Pfalz serves, supports, and secures the total force community enabling power projection for the European Theater.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2024
• Date Posted: 09.27.2024 03:07
• Story ID: 481920
• Location: RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE