ODFW enhances monitoring of chronic wasting disease after being detected in two Idaho deer

Salem, Oregon (KTVZ) —The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has been on the lookout for chronic wasting disease (CWD) since the late 1990s. Over the past two decades, staff have collected and tested over 23,000 samples from hunters found dead in Oregon harvested, road-killed, and other deer and elks. Animals in Oregon have never been tested positive for CWD.

However, the disease is now very close to the Oregon deer and elk populations. CWD was recently detected in two deer harvested by a hunter in Idaho in October in a hunting unit within 30 miles of the Snake River-Oregon border.

Idaho Fish and Games has taken immediate steps to enhance surveillance to determine the prevalence of disease in areas, including special hunting.

With the detection of Idaho, ODFW is strengthening the CWD test for deer and elk, especially in northeastern Oregon, and is seeking help from hunters, road kill salvagers, and others to find cases of deer and elk disease in Oregon.

Colin Gillin, an ODFW wildlife veterinarian, has been actively involved in national efforts to monitor and delay the spread of CWD by joining the Health Committee (AFWA) of the Fish and Wildlife Institutions Association. rice field. He is currently a leader of the Wildlife Health Commission and co-editor of National Guidance on AFWA Best Management Practices for CWD Monitoring and Response.

“The news of the Idaho detection is alarming, but we’ve moved the CWD away from Oregon and prepared to respond if it’s detected here,” Gillin said in a news release published Friday. rice field.

The department has already emailed tag owners of ongoing and upcoming deer and elk hunting in some northeastern Oregon units to provide deer or elk parts for testing if hunting is successful. Is requesting. Barrels placed in various locations make it easy for these hunters to submit their heads for sampling by biologists and veterinarians.

After 2022, anyone transporting carcasses and parts of wildlife will be required to stop by the check station and allow animal inspection if they encounter it.

deer Parts import ban Residents of Oregon and travelers returning from out-of-state hunting may not be able to bring in certain specific parts (deer, elk, mousse), including brain and spinal cord tissue. Because these are known to be CWD organizations. Concentration of infected animals.Several hunters have been quoted for violating this regulation, but recently Klamath County.. Oregon citizens hunting in other states must also be aware of and comply with their state’s regulations regarding CWD.

What is CWD?

CWD is a deadly neurological disorder found in the North American cervid family, including deer, elk, and mousse. Certain types of prion proteins cause illness, damaging the animal’s brain, causing progressive loss of physical condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation, and ultimately death. The first confirmed deer in captivity at a Colorado research facility in 1967 CWD Alliance.

Disease-causing prions can persist for long periods of time in the environment and can re-infect new animals that come into contact with infected soil and other surfaces. It is found in saliva, urine and feces and pollutes the soil of animal habitats. The Oregon Legislature has banned the use or possession of commercial scented lures containing deer urine since 2020 because they allow urine to pass through. More information

CWD is only considered a risk of deer disease. There is no evidence that contact with sick animals or consumption of sick animal meat can spread to people. However, the CDC and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife do not recommend consuming meat from sick or infected animals, including sick animals with CWD. CWD does not spread to livestock.

What are the symptoms of CWD in deer and elk?
In most cases, it takes months to years for the disease to cause clinical symptoms and final death, so it is difficult to determine if an animal has CWD until it is tested.

Late CWD deer and elk suffer from loss of physical function, causing abnormal behavior such as:

• Staggering or standing in a very bad or exaggerated wide position (legs in a very wide position)
• Carry with your head and ears down
• Decreased physical condition (hence the term “exhaustion” disease)
• Consume large amounts of water and stay close to water
• Drooling and excessive salivation

Keep in mind that other diseases and parasites present in deer and elk can cause similar symptoms, especially in the chronic case. For more information, https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/

What if I see an animal that seems to have a potential CWD?

Nearest phone ODFW office Alternatively, contact ODFW’s Wildlife Health Lab. [email protected] / 866-968-2600 If you see an animal with the symptoms described.

Hunters should not shoot deer or elks that look sick. If you find evidence of illness after shooting, ODFW veterinarians are advised to call a local ODFW biologist without eating meat.

What action does ODFW take if the animal test is positive?

Unfortunately, there are no vaccines, cures, or cures for CWD, and there is no effective way to eradicate it once it has been established in the population. However, if CWD is detected in Oregon, ODFW will further increase deer and elk testing in the area to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and distribution of the disease. Knowing where the disease is is helping ODFW target monitoring and sampling efforts and control the prevalence of the disease.

“Reducing the density of animals in infected populations slows the spread of the disease, especially by culling out older animals. It tends to increase the prevalence because of the increased time and opportunity for contact with the disease. That’s why, “says Gillin. “Adult males also have a higher prevalence due to behaviors such as licking, grooming, single groups, and reproductive behavior.”

If CWD is detected in Oregon, urgent regulations such as special carcass disposal rules to prevent prions from being left in the landscape and inspection of all deer and elks harvested by hunters in infected hunting areas are required. May become.

In states with animals infected with CWD, deer and elk populations do not decline significantly, Gillin says. However, studies show that if the prevalence of the disease is high, it can decline. Even if the disease cannot be eradicated, limiting the occurrence of CWD in the population is another reason why it is important.

Roadkill sampling resumed, mandatory check station in 2022
When the Oregon Legislature passed a law permitting the rescue of deer and elks killed on the road a few years ago, administrative rules also take the heads of animals rescued for CWD testing to the ODFW office. I requested that. Studies show that animals with CWD are unlikely to be able to avoid oncoming vehicles and are good candidates for testing for illness.

Due to the closure of Covid-related offices, mandatory roadkill check-in requirements have been temporarily restricted to male deer and elks since March 2020. Head surrender from all recovered deer and elks is tested again, as stated in the Permanent Regulations, as the state office is set to reopen on January 3, 2022. Will be needed. Those who rescue deer and elks should bring their heads and antler to the ODFW office within 5 days for testing. Salvage program details

Introduced by the Oregon Hunters Association and passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2021, the HB 3152 is a check station for those who transport harvested wildlife or some of the harvested wildlife since 2022. You are obliged to stop by if you encounter. Additional Information and Rules The language will be available before the fall hunting season, when ODFW expects to host the mandatory check station again.

For more information on Oregon’s CWD, please visit: https://myodfw.com/CWD or CWD Alliance