"Strange" animals, "strange" cuisine

[RabidApache]

Desert Pack rats in AZ. Its actually pretty tastey. In a side by side taste test challenge rabbit and pack rat is almost identical.

[stickbender]

    As for pack rats, probably taste like squirrel.  However, be very careful when handling pack rats, or mice, or other rats, as especially out west, they may have fleas, with the "Hanta" virus.   Always burn the hair off, and handle with gloves, or stick tongs.  As with any wild or domestic animal, be careful about blood contact.  We had a problem with "Brucelosis" with hogs down here for awhile. I think they had a problem with that with Buffalo in the Yellowstone area, once also.  I have BIG ground squirrels in Montana.  Been thinking of trying one.

                                                     Wayne

[killir duck]

calf, elk, deer and antelope nuts the calf was the best and antelope by far the worst

[hedgeapple]

I tried squirrel brains once NEVER AGAIN. They tasted like rotted fat. BBlluuukkkk

[Dharma]

Yes, Stickbender is correct. Hantavirus is a problem here in the Southwest. It's usually found among Kangaroo Rats and White-Footed Mice. There is a Navajo taboo against allowing rodents to live in the hoogan, and it probably comes from that. In addition, Bubonic Plague is often found here among prairie dogs which is why so many people have given up eating them. Tularemia is found among rabbits here, so surgical gloves are a must for skinning and gutting. Add to that almost every summer, Rabies occurs among the skunk and fox populations. A skunk seen in daylight here certainly has it. An infected fox once attacked a guy here and he like to have never got it off his foot. Good reason to carry a stout hickory walking stick while hiking here. "Nothing beats a fine piece of hickory..."

[stickbender]

     Be askeered, be reeeeel askeered of them thar foamy mouthed varmits!
Yeah, we had the tularemia problem here also.  Warm climate.  I don't eat rabbits, and such because of it.  Plus the fact they are all full of tape worms, and wolves.  There is some form of virus, among the squirrels down here.  I have only seen it once in a squirrel, in Gainesville, years ago. A squirrel had big lumps, all over it, and sores.  Not supposed to be contagious to humans.  Not going to test it.   I would only eat the western mousy varmits, in a survival situation, if it didn't look like I was likely to get anything healthier to eat.
Yeah, a nice big walking stick, and a pistol, or rifle, or shotgun, would handy for the rabid critters!  Hmmmm, I wonder if the rabies virus would also be in the skunk spray?  I had read where some cave explorers had contracted rabies, by breathing in the virus, that was in the air, from all the infected bats that were in the cave, and their droppings, that were infected with the virus, and coming in contact with it.  Kinda takes the fun out of peeking in a cave.   But the bottom line is just be careful, and as hygenic as possible.  "Bon Apetite, 

                                                    Wayne



 

                                                 
 

[JW_Halverson]

     Be askeered, be reeeeel askeered of them thar foamy mouthed varmits!
Yeah, we had the tularemia problem here also.  Warm climate.  I don't eat rabbits, and such because of it.  Plus the fact they are all full of tape worms, and wolves.  There is some form of virus, among the squirrels down here.  I have only seen it once in a squirrel, in Gainesville, years ago. A squirrel had big lumps, all over it, and sores.  Not supposed to be contagious to humans.  Not going to test it.   I would only eat the western mousy varmits, in a survival situation, if it didn't look like I was likely to get anything healthier to eat.
Yeah, a nice big walking stick, and a pistol, or rifle, or shotgun, would handy for the rabid critters!  Hmmmm, I wonder if the rabies virus would also be in the skunk spray?  I had read where some cave explorers had contracted rabies, by breathing in the virus, that was in the air, from all the infected bats that were in the cave, and their droppings, that were infected with the virus, and coming in contact with it.  Kinda takes the fun out of peeking in a cave.   But the bottom line is just be careful, and as hygenic as possible.  "Bon Apetite, 

                                                    Wayne                                               

I don't think the rabies virus goes into a spore state to survive outside the host body.  I will do some checking with a vet I know just as soon as I run into her.  Anthrax, on the other hand is everywhere.  It encapsulates into spore form when outside a host and lasts thru all kinds of weather, cataclysm, environmental degredation, and nuclear holocaust.  Encouraging ain't it?

[Dharma]

As much sheep as gets raised out here, I am surprised there is not more anthrax here.

[stickbender]

     Yeah, Anthrax is just wonderful.
Like our own idiots in the government research dept.s , the Scottish geniuses told the sheep herders, who used an island for sheep grazing for centuries, that they were going to test the Anthrax on that island, but not to worry, they had everything under scientific control, and they would eradicate any trace of Anthrax on the island, and all would be well again.  Well they did their testing.  And...... after years, of scorched earth, digging, and scorching again, chemicals, etc. .......the island is still uninhabitable.  Nor can it be used for sheep grazing, since Anthrax is still detected there.  Well, that certainly worked out well for all, didn't it?!!  As for Rabies having a "spore" state, I don't have a clue.  I do know it is a virus, and can be air borne, and inhaled.  Whether or not you can acquire the virus that way, again, I don't know, only what I read about the cave explorers.  But it seems that if it enters your lungs, it would be brought into the blood stream.  Don't know for certain, just seems like it would.  Not a biologist.  Still it wouldn't hurt to take along a good respirator, when "Spelunking".   Let us know what you find out about the Rabies virus being airborne, and any dangers of it.  I know for the first years of Aids scare, they were saying it was only contagious by blood contact, or sex,and not by insect vectors either.  Well while they were saying that, Dr. Whiteside, here in Fl. was disputing that, being as how mosquitoes inject an anticoagulant, before sucking the blood.  If that mosquito is infected with aids, it will inject the virus.  Some Dr.s stated it would not be enough to contract aids.  Not enough? Plus there was an elderly couple in their upper 80's who contracted Aids.  One had contracted through blood transfusion, the other only shared the same glass that they stored their dentures in.  Sex?  I strongly doubt it.  The denture glass was the only thing that they shared.  Both had Aids.  One after the other contracted it through the transfusion.
The the CDC told Dr. Whiteside, and others, there will not be any more Aids cases reported.  Nice.  Our Gov. at our side.   Anywho, just be careful, either way.
                                                  Wayne

[darwin]

Being a virus rabies does not technically form spores however it can remain stable and virulent in many different environments, and if you get infected and don't get treated its almost guaranteed you will die (only one known case of someone surviving and she had severe health problems after) so get treated if you think you may have been exposed. Also as for armadillos carrying leprosy (from a science point of view a cool organism), That is true, however it is extremely difficult to catch leprosy from anything (even another human) unless you are immune compromised, still I wouldn't let the kiddies play with one. Anthrax is common in cattle in Texas where i live and every year there are a few fatalities in the state but its almost always related to those who work in the live stock industry. Anthrax is a spore former and infection rates always go up in dry years (because it lives in the soil). I know rabbits of all shapes and sizes can carry Tularemia for that matter so can beavers, muskrats, small rodents, and ticks which is why i have always been told to wear gloves when cleaning rabbits and when cooked properly the bacterium should be inactivated. As for AIDS there are many doctors and scientist who do nothing but study AIDS and HIV, however I am not one of them, I do know that HIV cannot survive inside a mosquito if anyone wants a longer explanation on why mosquito cant transmit the AIDS virus here you go (http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/aids.htm)

Lastly I just want to say the reason I can say all this and be confident its fact is that I am a Microbiologist and a toxicologist and have in the past done research on many of the above organisms. Don't stop eating wild game (like any of you would) its just good to be aware of some of mother natures smaller and meaner creatures.

 Also if anyone has any other questions about Microbiology please let me know I love sharing information and sometimes its hard to find an audience.

[JW_Halverson]

Don't stop eating wild game (like any of you would) its just good to be aware of some of mother natures smaller and meaner creatures.

As I process deer and antelope, I am constantly slicing thin, narrow strips off.  I keep small bowls of Worcestershire sauce and soy near at hand to dip them in.  Venison tartare is exquisite!  And I feel safer eating this than I do a well done steak from a cow raised in confinement.  I've seen cattle feed lots, I can't eat that stuff.

[darwin]

the soy and Worcestershire contain enough salt to kill most bacteria so i would say that your pretty safe doing that

[stickbender]

     Thanks for the info Darwin.  Good to have an actual scientist on board!   Always glad to listen to biologic, and insect vector info.   Bring it on!  It would be good for all of us to get a little more info.  I read and still have the book by James A. Duke PHD, called the Green Pharmacy, he was telling about how if you eat Sushi, to be sure to eat the ginger, as it not only kills the parasite anasarkis, but also the eggs.  Well one of my cats had worms, and I started sprinkling powdered ginger on her food, and mixing it up, and after about a week, her coat was glossy again, and I didn't see any more worms, on her or in her stool.  I have been using it intermittently ever since.  I know a lot of people who eat Sushi, say that the wasabi, kills the parasites that are found in fish, such as anasarkis.  I don't know if that is true or not.  I know if I was a parasite, and came in contact with wasabi, I would be looking for a host somewhere else!

                                                                 Wayne

                                                     Wayne

[darwin]

I didn't know that about ginger but I'm not surprised.

[jimmy]

Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I once ate a piece of heart cut from my deer that I just shot with my bow.  It was suprisingly mild and very fresh tasting.  It was pretty good.  Just as good as sushi.