CWD in MO ?

[kennym]

I heard on the radio this AM there is a case of CWD right here in my county(Linn)at a deer farm.

 All they said is state officials have taken measures to prevent the spread.

Rumor has it about 3 miles from my house.

Has anyone heard anything about this or other outbreaks?

Mods,if this isn't OK to post,please delete it,but it may affect my trad bowhuntin!

[Mudd]

I read the story in last evenings Columbia Missourian. I was hoping they might go into further details of what the plans were to help prevent further spread of it.

I was kinda relieved to read that it was on a deer farm and not one from the wild. That said I do know its contagious so our wild population could be at risk.

God bless,Mudd

PS I see this topic as directly relayed to my archery hunting.

[owlbait]

When that happened here in Michigan they stopped all baiting statewide, and tested deer killed near the deer farm it was discovered at.

[John3]

Kenny,

Please let us know if you find out any more info about this...  I've been thinking "we" have been lucky not to have CWD in MO yet...


John III

[ChuckC]

My opinion. . .  and that is all it is . .   is that the movement of CWD in the US is 100% attributable to farming cervids (deer and elk and a few others).   Wherever a case of CWD crops up, its amazing how there just happens to be one or more deer or elk farms located right there.  It is also amazing how they have deer escape every now and then.

ChuckC

[acadian archer]

CHUCKC, you are right in that's how it looks. My home province of Nova Scotia has banned the use deer urine lures, attractants, scents etc. , allowing synthetics only. Thus far we have remaind free of CWD.

Time will tell if the policy is correct.

[kennym]

Thanks for the replies,all


I googled that article,it says pretty much what I heard. Not much.

If I hear more,I'll let ya know.

Chuck, I'm with ya on the deer and elk farming, I'm not a big fan.

[Gatekeeper]

Here is an article about it.

Missouri : Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer

Date: February 25, 2010
Source: Missouri Department of Agriculture

Contacts:
Misti Preston, (573) 751-8596


The Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that a captive white-tailed deer in Linn County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose.

“There is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to domestic animals or humans,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Woods. “We have protocols in place to quickly and effectively handle these situations.”

The animal that tested positive for CWD was a white-tailed deer inspected as part of the State’s CWD surveillance and testing program. Preliminary tests were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

Upon receiving the confirmed CWD positive, Missouri’s departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services initiated their CWD Contingency Plan. The plan was developed in 2002 by the Cervid Health Committee, a task force comprised of veterinarians, animal health officers and conservation officers from USDA, MDA, MDC and DHSS working together to mitigate challenges associated with CWD.

CWD is transmitted by live animal to animal contact or soil to animal contact. The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in the Colorado Division of Wildlife captive wildlife research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD has been documented in deer and/or elk in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There has been no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans.

“Missouri’s proactive steps to put a testing protocol in place and create a contingency plan years ago is proving beneficial. We are in a solid position to follow pre-established steps to ensure Missouri’s valuable whitetail deer resource remains healthy and strong,” said Jason Sumners Missouri’s Deer Biologist.

For more information regarding CWD, please contact Dr. Taylor Woods at (573) 751-3377.

[Gatekeeper]

Here is an update from the Conservation Department.


Missouri Department of Conservation                                

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2010

 

CONTACTS:     (MDC) Joe Jerek, 573-522-4115 x3362 or [email protected]

                        (MDC) Jim Low, 573-522-4115 x3243 or [email protected]

                        (MDA) Misti Preston, 573-751-8596 or [email protected]

 

MDC CWD testing shows no cases in free-ranging deer

 

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently completed testing for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) on a sample of free-ranging white-tailed deer from areas of Linn, Macon and Chariton Counties. Test results showed no cases of CWD.

 

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that can be transmitted among cervids, such as deer, elk and moose. There is no evidence that CWD can infect people, or spread from infected deer to domestic livestock, such as sheep or cattle. CWD has been found in 17 states including Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

 

Missouri was recently added to the list after the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) reported the state’s first and only known case of CWD in late February. It came from a captive whitetail buck at a private hunting ranch in Linn County. The MDA handles CWD testing in captive deer in Missouri. The MDA then tested an additional 50 captive deer from the ranch. Results showed no additional cases of CWD.

 

In response to this initial case, the MDC collected tissue samples for testing from 153 free-ranging deer within a five-mile radius of the private hunting ranch. The MDC also included 72 samples collected from hunter-harvested deer taken from Linn and surrounding counties during the 2009-2010 deer seasons.

 

“Our test results indicate that Missouri’s free-ranging deer population remains free of CWD. This is very good news,” said MDC Director Bob Ziehmer. “We greatly appreciate the cooperation and support from the more than 120 area landowners and sportsmen involved in harvesting deer to obtain the samples. And those deer did not go to waste. Missourians will benefit from the approximately 5,000 pounds of processed venison we were able to donate to the Share the Harvest program.”

 

Ziehmer added that the health of the state’s deer population is important to all Missourians. “Deer hunting and wildlife watching are vital parts of our state’s economy, our outdoor traditions and our communities.”

 

MDC State Deer Biologist Jason Sumners noted that the Department will continue its ongoing CWD monitoring efforts.

 

“We will be testing tissue samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in the northern half of the state during the upcoming fall deer seasons, and we will continue sampling efforts in the area where the initial case was discovered,” said Sumners.

 

He added that, with the help of hunters and landowners, the MDC has tested more than 24,000 free-ranging deer for CWD since 2002 from all parts of the state with no CWD-positive deer found.  This long-term testing has been part of Missouri’s ongoing monitoring for CWD through a special task force established in 2002. The task force is composed of experts from MDA, MDC, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

- Joe Jerek –

[John3]

Thank you for that update...

[Don Stokes]

It has also recently been found in ND for the first time.

[kennym]

Thanks Tom!

I'd heard about the shooting wild deer outside the pen,but hadn't heard results yet.

[4dogs]

I wish your state luck in dealing with this...it has been a curse here for years.