Florida state agricultural officers are inspecting all dogs and other animals coming out of the Florida Keys, looking for signs of a screwworm infection that is killing the endangered Key deer.
The New World Screwworms, a maggot that can enter warm blooded creatures – including humans and livestock, has been found eating Key deer alive.
Now state, local, and national authorities are trying to eradicate the screwworm before it can infest the rest of Florida.
Every vehicle with a cat or dog inside that is traveling north on US 1 is asked to stop at a checkpoint in Key Largo.
Agriculture officers quickly check the animals and pass out information about the parasite.
The screwworm has already killed at least 50 of the endangered key deer on Big Pine Key and No Name Key. It can also infect pets and in rare cases, people.
The parasite flies get into open wounds, lay eggs and then the larvae works quickly, eating flesh and creating gaping wounds.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam says the public has to help the fight against this parasite.
"I know that Florida seems like we're going through the seven plagues. With everything going on between the hurricanes, Zika, and all the other items, this is not one to be taken lightly. This is not simply something to be written off as a punchline or a Florida man story. This poses a grave threat to the last of the subset of the population of the Key deer that we all know and love," said Putnam.
The state and the USDA are bringing in sterile male screwworm flies to fight the infestation. These insects only breed once, so when the female breeds with a sterile male, it ends the life cycle and eventually kills off the population.
If you bring your pets down to the Keys, inspect them carefully for any open sores, and if they have any, take them to a vet right away.
Courtesy of our news partners at NBC Miami
