WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Agriculture authorities and police rushed to a small island near New Zealand's most populous city Tuesday after Prime Minister Helen Clark received a letter claiming foot-and-mouth disease had been spread among the island's thousands of livestock. Senior Agriculture Ministry official Barry O'Neil said the letter was "probably a hoax, but is being taken very seriously." An outbreak of the livestock disease in New Zealand could devastate the country's agriculture-dependent economy.
A threatening letter delivered to Prime Minister Helen Clark's office Tuesday said a vial of foot-and-mouth disease was released Monday among stock on Waiheke Island, a small farming community near the northern city of Auckland. Police said a ransom demand was included in the letter along with a demand for a change in the nation's taxation policy. One of New Zealand's most senior police officers, Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshall, also said it was likely a hoax, "based on the nature of the letter." He declined to elaborate. He said the letter also threatened to release the disease at another location in New Zealand. He did not disclose the location.
New Zealand has never had a confirmed case of foot and mouth, but if the disease were to reach this country it would be a devastating blow to the economy. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease and affects cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep and pigs. It causes sores, blisters and fever. It is deadly for livestock but harmless to people. |