Game and Fish Continues CWD Sampling

GAME AND FISH CONTINUES CWD SAMPLING

Contact: Mark Zornes or Lucy Wold, 307-875-3223

GREEN RIVER – It has been two years since Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose was discovered in deer hunt area 132. Workers in the Green River Game and Fish Region are continuing disease surveillance in southwest Wyoming and are asking hunters for their assistance in the surveillance efforts.

          Green River Wildlife Management Coordinator Mark Zornes said the occurrence of CWD in Green River is not a huge surprise, as it has been documented in Utah near the Wyoming border, about 40 miles to the south.

          “Green River region personnel will be collecting samples through hunter field checks and at check stations,” Zornes said. “Deer hunters are also encouraged to bring their deer heads to the Green River Regional Office located at 351 Astle Avenue in Green River so that the lymph nodes may be removed for sampling. Game and Fish personnel collect and analyze more than 4,000 CWD samples annually throughout the state. The sampling process only takes a few minutes. Hunters can call ahead to make sure someone is at the office to take a sample by calling 875-3223.”

           Chronic Wasting Disease is not known to be a disease of humans. Nonetheless, to avoid risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or that test positive for CWD.

          There are no methods that have been proven effective in stopping the expansion of CWD, although a number of things have been tried in other states. Recent research in Wisconsin and Colorado has shown that large-scale culling of animals is ineffective in stopping the spread of the disease or reducing its prevalence. Currently, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is monitoring the disease, conducting various research projects to understand more about CWD, and educating the public on the presence of the disease and what it means for wildlife and people. The department is committed to using the best available science to manage this disease in a manner that makes sense for the wildlife and people of Wyoming. 

For more information about CWD in Wyoming, visit the WGFD website at: http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/wildlife

 

For more information about CWD in North America, visit the CWD Alliance website at: http://www.cwd-info.org/.

 Photo Credit: Lucy Wold, WGFD, CWD sampling at Kemmerer Check Station

   ~WGFD~