tractorErnie said:
Why do they cremate human bodys ?
Its quick & clean
BURN BABY BURN !! it destroys all disease
Well, number one, they cremate human beings because that's what some human beings want. The vast majority of dead humans are buried. And you might be surprised, on the one hand, how strict human burial regulations are in some areas, but you'd be more surprised how lax they are in a great many areas.
Cremation of humans is relatively quick and clean, but it is also highly controlled and the equipment to do so is very expensive. A backyard bonfire is quite cheap though.
And burning does not destroy all diseases. The various spongiform encephalopathies that can infect cows and sheep (Mad Cow) as well as wasting diseases in deer are caused by prions which may be totally unaffected by burning.
As far as what the coyote in question had, no one can tell without testing. Rabies tends to peak in the warm months. I'm not sure about distemper. I'd guess parvo is more likely in cool months. And distemper poses no risk to human beings whatsoever. There are strains of parvo viruses that can affect humans but I'm pretty the type that affects dog-like animals poses no risk to us. Rabies is about the only thing we have to worry about in an animal carcass other than the sanitary issues of having something decay in areas we frequent. And the risk of rabies in a carcass is incredibly small since it typically has to be transmitted from the saliva of the infected animal to the blood stream of the 'infectee'. If you can manage that with a carcass you're really asking for it.
Distemper affects the neurological system as does rabies. In foxes, and so probably coyotes, the distemper can make them act 'rabid' and an animal with distemper might be unafraid of you and pose a risk of biting. They often 'circle' and foam at the mouth like rabies. As others have mentioned, staying away is best.
I think it is fine for folks to take precautions, however careful they wish to be, in disposing of carcasses. But in truth, it doesn't require a Hazmat team to do it. And for those who are most worried, fussing around with the carcass in any way should be the last thing they want to do.
As far as my 'natural' approach, that has not always been effective here. In years past it took far more time for a carcass to 'disappear'. I think it is the coyotes that have made waste disposal so effective here now. My B-I-L has always just dragged dead cows and horses to a distant gully on his farm. It used to take a week or so for them to be picked over. Now its days. And for the burn/bury crowd, well, a coyote is one thing, a full grown cow or horse is quite another. That's one industrial sized fire or hole for one of them!
