{"id":3290,"date":"2026-06-12T06:04:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3290"},"modified":"2026-06-12T06:04:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:04:26","slug":"florida-bans-shelter-animal-imports-from-texas-and-new-mexico-over-flesh-eating-screwworm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3290","title":{"rendered":"Florida bans shelter animal imports from Texas and New Mexico over flesh-eating screwworm"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Florida agriculture officials implemented an emergency ban restricting rescue groups and animal shelters from bringing dogs and cats into the state from Texas and New Mexico after a flesh-eating parasite emerged out West.<\/p>

Read more Hillsborough County warehouse manager stole, pawned more than $40K in equipment from employer: HCSO<\/a><\/p>

Florida agriculture ban<\/strong><\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

<\/div>

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson expanded screwworm restrictions on Wednesday, blocking the import of shelter and rescue animals from areas impacted by the New World screwworm.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Courtesy: United States Department of Agriculture<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

This parasitic, flesh-eating fly has been detected in Texas livestock and inside a dog in New Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>

The U.S. Department of Agriculture dashboard lists nine reported cases of the parasite so far.<\/p>

Broken containment<\/h2>

Timeline:<\/p>

“[It] was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s, and then eradicated from Mexico and Central America down south past the Darien Gap in Panama in the early 2000s,” said Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor of veterinary entomology at the University of Florida. “It’s recently broken containment from the region in Panama and has slowly made its way northward towards the U.S. border over the past two years.”<\/p>

Previous Florida cases<\/strong><\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

Florida successfully defeated an outbreak of the same parasite a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>

Screwworm cases popped up in Key Deer in the Florida Keys in 2016 and 2017.\u00a0<\/p>

During that outbreak, state and federal agencies launched a rapid response and quickly contained the flesh-eating flies.<\/p>

Read more Hillsborough County commissioners greenlight controversial 280-home Lithia development<\/a><\/p>

Animals at highest risk<\/h2>

Why you should care:<\/p>

Stray animals face the highest risk because they spend long periods outside and often suffer injuries that attract flies, Burgess said.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

The fly larvae eat living flesh, making infestations incredibly painful for animals.\u00a0<\/p>

If travelers visit infected states, a well-maintained pet is unlikely to contract the parasite, but owners should watch for crawling larvae and a foul smell from a wound.<\/p>

Tampa animal shelters<\/strong><\/h2>

Local perspective:<\/p>

Local operations around the Tampa area do not expect major disruptions from the state restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

Organizations such as SPCA Tampa Bay and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay rarely bring in pets from outside Florida, typically doing so only during disaster relief situations.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Cruise passengers shaken by offshore Cuba earthquake in Gulf of Mexico: \u2018It was the strangest feeling\u2019<\/a><\/p>

Even then, local workers put every animal through strict health checkups.<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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