spectr17
07-24-2002, 09:17 AM
Wildlife officials preparing for mad deer disease
By ASHLEY H. GRANT
Associated Press Writer
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Jul 22, 2002
ST. PAUL (AP) - While most Minnesotans have turned their attention to summer activities like fishing, camping and relaxing, a handful of scientists and others are working to keep Minnesota from being the next state hit by a debilitating deer and elk disease.
"I think at the very least, we can delay it," said Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. "At most, we can avoid it."
So far, about 65 Minnesota deer have been tested for chronic wasting, a disease that eats holes in the brain, causing the animal to become emaciated and die.
None of the tests have come back positive. With such a small number of animals tested, though, it's tough to say whether the state is truly free of the disease.
This fall, the DNR is recommending that at least 1,000 deer shot by hunters be tested for CWD.
"We do not have the capability to test every animal," said Chris DePerno, farmland deer project leader for the DNR.
Instead, the agency is assembling a list of areas and deciding how many deer in each area should be tested. About 80 wildlife staff members will be trained on how to remove the part of brain stem needed for testing.
"It's quite a bit of work," DePerno said.
Meanwhile, DNR officials and others concerned about the disease are putting together proposals for the next legislative session.
Last year, the Legislature took several steps toward prevention. They included allowing money set aside for emergency deer feeding to be used to help prevent chronic wasting and prohibiting the import of deer and elk into Minnesota from a herd that is infected or exposed to chronic wasting. Another requires reporting to the state within 24 hours if a deer or elk escapes a captive facility or if a wild animal gets into a deer or elk farm.
The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is working on a list of priorities for 2003, which may include:
-Requiring the testing of any deer or elk that has died for any reason.
-Requiring all deer and elk farms to be under mandatory state surveillance programs.
-Requiring that big game from another state be processed before it is brought back to Minnesota.
-Banning the recreational feeding of deer.
The Deer Hunters Association is holding a meeting Aug. 23 in Grand Rapids to discuss what precautions should be taken in Minnesota.
The disease has been discovered in several nearby states, including Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Chronic wasting is in the same family as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, although experts say the mutant protein that apparently causes wasting disease is different from the one that causes mad-cow disease.
There's no evidence the infection can spread to livestock or humans, but the possibility can't be ruled out. The World Health Organization advises people not to eat meat from animals infected with the disease.
In Wisconsin, hunting enthusiasts fear people will give up the sport out of fear of bringing home CWD-infected venison. Three bucks shot there last year were infected with the disease - the first time it was discovered east of the Mississippi River.
To try to eradicate the disease, the DNR wants hunters and government sharpshooters to kill all the estimated 25,000 deer in a 361-square-mile area of three counties.
In Minnesota, the DNR is offering a record number of deer hunting permits this year and so far, it looks as if hunters plan to take advantage.
"The best thing a hunter can do is go out and hunt deer this year," Johnson said.
Ashley H. Grant may be reached at agrant(at)ap.org
By ASHLEY H. GRANT
Associated Press Writer
###
Jul 22, 2002
ST. PAUL (AP) - While most Minnesotans have turned their attention to summer activities like fishing, camping and relaxing, a handful of scientists and others are working to keep Minnesota from being the next state hit by a debilitating deer and elk disease.
"I think at the very least, we can delay it," said Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. "At most, we can avoid it."
So far, about 65 Minnesota deer have been tested for chronic wasting, a disease that eats holes in the brain, causing the animal to become emaciated and die.
None of the tests have come back positive. With such a small number of animals tested, though, it's tough to say whether the state is truly free of the disease.
This fall, the DNR is recommending that at least 1,000 deer shot by hunters be tested for CWD.
"We do not have the capability to test every animal," said Chris DePerno, farmland deer project leader for the DNR.
Instead, the agency is assembling a list of areas and deciding how many deer in each area should be tested. About 80 wildlife staff members will be trained on how to remove the part of brain stem needed for testing.
"It's quite a bit of work," DePerno said.
Meanwhile, DNR officials and others concerned about the disease are putting together proposals for the next legislative session.
Last year, the Legislature took several steps toward prevention. They included allowing money set aside for emergency deer feeding to be used to help prevent chronic wasting and prohibiting the import of deer and elk into Minnesota from a herd that is infected or exposed to chronic wasting. Another requires reporting to the state within 24 hours if a deer or elk escapes a captive facility or if a wild animal gets into a deer or elk farm.
The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is working on a list of priorities for 2003, which may include:
-Requiring the testing of any deer or elk that has died for any reason.
-Requiring all deer and elk farms to be under mandatory state surveillance programs.
-Requiring that big game from another state be processed before it is brought back to Minnesota.
-Banning the recreational feeding of deer.
The Deer Hunters Association is holding a meeting Aug. 23 in Grand Rapids to discuss what precautions should be taken in Minnesota.
The disease has been discovered in several nearby states, including Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Chronic wasting is in the same family as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, although experts say the mutant protein that apparently causes wasting disease is different from the one that causes mad-cow disease.
There's no evidence the infection can spread to livestock or humans, but the possibility can't be ruled out. The World Health Organization advises people not to eat meat from animals infected with the disease.
In Wisconsin, hunting enthusiasts fear people will give up the sport out of fear of bringing home CWD-infected venison. Three bucks shot there last year were infected with the disease - the first time it was discovered east of the Mississippi River.
To try to eradicate the disease, the DNR wants hunters and government sharpshooters to kill all the estimated 25,000 deer in a 361-square-mile area of three counties.
In Minnesota, the DNR is offering a record number of deer hunting permits this year and so far, it looks as if hunters plan to take advantage.
"The best thing a hunter can do is go out and hunt deer this year," Johnson said.
Ashley H. Grant may be reached at agrant(at)ap.org