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08/19/02
NO CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE IN NEVADA; NDOW
STEPS UP EFFORTS TO KEEP IT THAT WAY
By Joe Doucette, NDOW
Currently, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has not been detected in Nevada, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife will provide voluntary sampling checkpoints this fall in an effort to educate hunters and keep the disease out of the state.
First recognized in 1967 and finally identified in the late 1970s, CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is found in deer and elk, members of the cervid family. It is caused by a protein called a prion that attaches to and transforms healthy brain proteins into disfigured mutations that deteriorate the brain, and ultimately lead to death.
Hunting in Affected Areas
Areas that have had positive tests for CWD include Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and several provinces in Canada.
Several of these states have established carcass transportation regulations that prohibit the transport of animal carcasses out of their infected areas. In northeastern Colorado, for instance, only processed meat, boned out meat, hides with no heads, bleached skullcaps, and finished taxidermist mounts will be allowed out of infected areas. The Nevada Department of Wildlife encourages hunters who plan to hunt in an affected area to check the state wildlife agency in that state to see whether special transportation regulations are in effect, and is requesting that hunters bring only boned out, processed meat back into Nevada from affected areas.
Nevada Hunters Can Help
In addition, NDOW is asking hunters to help with surveillance efforts to identify any Nevada animals showing CWD symptoms, which include excessive salivation, weight loss and extreme weakness. Animals may also exhibit poor posture, staggering, and may carry their heads down with ears lowered. If an animal is discovered that shows these symptoms, accurately document its location and contact the nearest office of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, or call the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
CWD is similar to, but different from scrapie (a disease found in domestic sheep), Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (also referred to as "mad cow" disease) and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease ( a TSE found in humans).
While similar to these diseases, there is no known causal link between CWD and any other TSEs of animals or people. There is currently no evidence to indicate that CWD can be transmitted from cervids to livestock or humans. The disease is fatal to the animal. At this time the only feasible test for CWD is a postmortem test on a piece of brain tissue.
In an effort to address the spread of CWD, the Nevada Department of Wildlife in cooperation with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, already has regulations in place to restrict the importation of live deer and elk into the state. NDOW does not augment existing populations of mule deer and relies on in-state herds to augment elk when needed. With other states showing more cases of the disease, NDOW and the State Veterinarian's Office are targeting information to processors, guides and taxidermists, as well as hunters who go out of state, and increasing its sampling for the disease to ensure that the state's deer herds are still healthy, and free from CWD.
NDOW Voluntary Check Stations
NDOW will continue to test harvested animals for CWD this hunting season and in future seasons to broaden its sample base. The goal is to collect a total of 500 elk samples, and about 500 deer samples. Since 1998, NDOW has collected over 300 deer samples and 100 elk samples. Biologists hope to broaden the geographic areas of Nevada where samples have been taken. Check stations are currently scheduled for Oct 4-8 in the Ash Springs and Alamo area, and Dec. 7-9 near the Eagle Valley State Park in southern Nevada. A check station will also be established at Grimes Point Near Fallon Oct. 5-6. In the eastern region of the state, mobile crews will frequent commonly used access routes such as Jake's Creek, Charleston, Harrison Pass, and Duck Creek Basin Oct. 5-6, and later into the deer season in late October and early November.
Meat lockers and processors statewide will also be checked as part of the sample collection.
The sampling effort is strictly voluntary. Hunters will be given a written explanation of the procedure, along with other information on CWD and will be advised not to give a sample if they had planned to take their animal to a taxidermist, as the sampling will ruin the cape.
With vigilance and cooperation from hunters and the public, Nevada Department of Wildlife hopes to keep Nevada's deer and elk herds free from Chronic Wasting Disease.
