The US Department of Agriculture confirmed on Wednesday that a New World screwworm larva was found in an elk harvested by a hunter on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas. The parasite, which feeds on living tissue, had been eradicated from the United States decades ago but has recently re‑emerged in wildlife along the southern border. The Texas Animal Health Commission announced it will adjust a previously designated infested zone, and the USDA together with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will conduct further surveillance in the surrounding area. Alan Cain, director of the Texas wildlife division, urged hunters and landowners to watch for signs of infestation during the upcoming hunting season. The pest originated in Central America, spread north through Mexico, and prompted a more than year‑long suspension of Mexican cattle imports that was lifted in August at an Arizona port as part of a phased reopening. The earlier import ban had tightened U.S. cattle supplies and driven beef prices to record levels. Since June, dozens of screwworm cases have been reported in the United States, including infections in a horse and a dog.