LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
The first confirmed case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has just been confirmed in Minnesota by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The deer was taken by a hunter in November of 2010 near Pine Island, located in the southeastern part of the state.
State of Minnesota Wildlife Officials are taking the disease as a serious concern to the overall health of the state’s whitetail deer herd. Since 2002, the DNR has tested more than 32,000 whitetail, 60 elk, and 90 moose all in attempts for the earliest possible detection in order to combat the disease.
Acting quickly in response to this confirmed case, Minnesota Board of Animal Health has established a CWD-endemic area which includes the area where the deer was taken and any land within a 10-mile radius of there.
Over the next several weeks the DNR will be taking information as well as investigating the entire Pine Island area. Minnesota hunters, landowners, and residents can expect a public meeting to be held sometime in February following these findings.
First found in Wisconsin’s wild deer herd dating back to 2002, CWD can now be found in 15 different states and provinces. Although considered not fatal to humans, CWD is fatal to deer, elk, and moose.
Bowhunting.Com would like to hear your opinion on controlling CWD in your own or any state. Do you believe Minnesota DNR is already over-reacting to just a single positively tested CWD deer? If your state already has CWD, do you believe your state has properly controlled the disease? How? Or, are you one of those conspiracy theorists who believe CWD to be made up by the major insurance companies? We want to hear from you no matter what you believe. Please leave comments below. Thank you!
