Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is an incurable disease in deer that has been found once again on a game farm in Three Lakes. This disease, if not monitored and prevented, threatens the entire deer population. The DNR will again be doing an area-wide herd sampling this year to search for cases of it in the wild. Jeremy Holtz, a wildlife biologist with the DNR, says despite additional cases of the disease being identified in the captive Three Lakes herd, he’s hopeful of the results this year given last year’s findings.
“Last year we were able to hit our sampling goal for the three county area, but we didn’t exactly get the higher number that we wanted in the core sampling area, which is directly around the farm where the positives were found. We have the same goal again for this year, so we’re hoping to get some great cooperation with the hunters in order to get enough samples to meet our goals. Last year, we didn’t have any positives in any of the wild deer that were harvested, so we’re hoping to get the same results again.”
Holtz says CWD is a prion protein that is extremely hard to kill, meaning it can persist in the environment for long periods of time and is communicable between deer.
“CWD is a disease that is incurable in deer. It gets in their brain and it starts making holes in their brain. It’s a nervous system disease. It’s related to things like scrapies in sheep or mad cow disease in cows. Chronic wasting disease is extraordinarily difficult to kill. It’s not like a virus or bacteria that gets in your body and your body develops an antibody or you can take antibiotics.”
Holtz says affected deer will often drool and hang their heads low with their ears down. They will also often be in or near lakes, as the disease causes dehydration. It is most common in mature bucks but can happen to any deer. Hunters are encouraged to contact the DNR or a taxidermist if they suspect their deer to have CWD. More information is available at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/regulations.html.
