WDFW
Continues to Monitor for Chronic Wasting Disease
Kristin
Mansfield DVM, Wildlife Veterinarian
This hunting
season will represent the 5th consecutive year that the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife has conducted intensive surveillance
for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Washington. Thanks to
the help and cooperation of volunteers, hunters, and meat
processors, nearly 4,000 Washington deer and elk have been
tested for CWD. All results have been negative.
Chronic
wasting disease was first described in Colorado and Wyoming
over 30 years ago. It is now known to occur in wild populations
of deer and elk in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska,
South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Saskatchewan, and as of
last spring, New York. Chronic wasting disease affects deer
and elk by causing weight loss and abnormal behavior and is
always fatal in affected animals. There have been no documented
cases of CWD naturally affecting humans or other animals aside
from deer and elk.
For the
2005 hunting season, WDFW will focus its sampling efforts
along the border we share with Idaho. This includes all Game
Management Units beginning with the number 1. Hunters can
help with this effort by stopping at check stations to have
their animal sampled and by being on the lookout for newspaper
notices and flyers indicating special sampling programs in
your area. Since CWD can contaminate the environment via infected
carcasses, hunters are reminded to observe the rule passed
by the Fish and Game Commission last year that prohibits the
importation of certain carcass parts from deer and elk harvested
in states or provinces where CWD is known to exist.
|
