Overview
- Federal and state teams report at least 16 confirmed animal infestations — 15 in Texas and one in New Mexico — with new cases in Crockett, Edwards and Terrell counties triggering immediate sterile‑fly dispersal flights by June 23.
- Texas has declared a statewide disaster, activated its emergency operations center and imposed quarantine zones that bar movement of warm‑blooded animals without inspection and authorization.
- Officials are deploying the Sterile Insect Technique, which releases lab‑reared sterile male flies to prevent future generations, but this method does not kill maggots already in animals so new cases can appear for multiple 21‑day reproductive cycles.
- Agencies and reporters say current sterile‑fly output is far below modeled needs; two large production facilities are planned or under construction but full scale‑up could take months to years.
- The outbreak threatens ranch incomes, trade and hunting economies, strains rural shelters that face overcrowding or forced euthanasia under movement limits, and will require sustained inspection, treatment and surveillance to protect animals and people.