d on the east coast had already proven that the vaccine would work in foxes, but would it work in coyotes? The Texas Department of Health commissioned a study at Texas A & M University at College Station, Texas. The project was to offer captive coyotes vaccine laced baits. The baits were a commercial dog food base, extruded biscuit with a hollow center. The baits measure about an inch by an inch by about three inches long. The study included 22 captive coyotes. The baits were left in the enclosures with the coyotes on several different occasions and then a month later the coyotes were subjected to challenge. During the challenge, the coyotes were exposed to a virulent dose of rabies virus and then observed to see if they were protected or not. Out of the 22 coyotes in the study, only three survived the challenge. There was clearly a problem with the bait/vaccine combination! The real cause of the vaccine failure in the Texas A & M study may not have been the fault of the vaccine after all. There is a committee that oversees all animal testing in any animal research facility called an IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). The IACUC at Texas A & M felt that it was inhumane to allow the coyotes to go hungry for any period of time during the study. The IACUC mandated that the coyotes be fed a very palatable, high calorie, commercial dog chow every day during the study. Consequently, the coyotes did not have a wild coyote's appetite and therefore they did not eat the baits! It was no surprise that the coyotes did not develop any immunity, they were never vaccinated!While this problem of testing was being sorted out, Dr. Fearneyhough, Director of the Border Rabies Prevention Project was in Canada, at a Rabies Seminar, and he was told that there was a captive group of coyotes at the Denver Wildlife Research Facility in Logan, Utah. Dr. Fearneyhough contacted the Facility and learned that they had 47 captive coyotes and that the...
