Re: dead cow in the river

[Charle5170@aol.com]

Dear Visionaries:

I was on the phone this morning on another matter to the Washington State 
Veterinarian's office in Olympia and I asked him about our dead cow.  There 
are Washington laws that pertain to removal and disposal of dead animals 
found in waterways and they come under the Department of Health's purview.

Essentially, if the animal can be identified and ownership verified, it is 
the owner's responsibility to have the carcass removed from the waterway and 
properly disposed of.  If the animal cannot be identified, the responsibility 
for its removal falls to the Health Department in the county where the dead 
animal is resting.  Since this cow is in a river and the county line runs 
down the middle of the waterway, it may be Garfield County's problem or it 
may be Whitman County's problem depending on how close to which bank the 
carcass is.

Note that a county can make a determination that the carcass is not worth 
removing, i.e., it is too badly decomposed, the risk to humans in a recovery 
is too great, etc.

Hope this helps.

Charlie Powell, Public Information Officer
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University