Frequently asked questions
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Where can I read more about viral vectors used in cancer therapy?
Why are feral pigs so aggressively culled?
Feral pigs can cause significant damage in agricultural areas through crop destruction and can severely impact sensitive ecological habitats through their rooting and other behaviors. In the US alone, it is estimated that feral pigs cause $2.5 billion in damage each year. As a result of significant concerns from state and federal agencies, culling of feral pigs is a high priority.
Why are the methods used to kill wild pigs so inhumane?
Unfortunately, because pigs are incredibly intelligent, hunting is largely ineffective as gun shots cause herds of animals to flee and they learn to avoid certain areas. Most jurisdictions therefore turn to trapping as the primary means to catch and kill wild pigs.
Trappers are notorious for not checking traps regularly which leads to hundreds of thousands of wild pigs suffering long periods in traps prior to being euthanized.
Are camels really an invasive "pest" species? Is Altrugene working on better ways to manage camel populations as well?
Sadly, camels are considered an invasive species and are aggressively culled in numerous locations by the tens of thousands. An emotional, but educational short film on the topic can be found here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/judascollar
Warning - this short film is very sad. Also note that this is not a documentary - it is a dramatization of the actual methods used to cull camels in many regions
And yes - Altrugene will be working on species specific delivery vectors for camels as well.
Where can I read more about GonaCon and PZP?
Here are a few good introductory links to research papers on GonaCon and PZP: