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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 7, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
Terry Haindfield, Wildlife Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
563-546-7960 or 563-380-3422.
A hunter harvested adult doe taken in southeast Wayne County
during the first shotgun deer season has tested positive for the presence of
chronic wasting disease (CWD). This is the first hunter harvested wild deer
outside of northeast Iowa to test positive for the always fatal disease.
The deer was shot on Dec. 5.
“We contacted the hunter once it was
confirmed,” said Terry Haindfield, wildlife biologist and coordinator for the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources chronic wasting disease monitoring effort.
“The test results are disappointing but not surprising. We are seeing an
increasing number of CWD positive deer in northeast Iowa and from our
neighboring states.”
Haindfield said there have been seven additional
CWD positive tests so far from deer in northeast Iowa that came from the 2017
seasons – six in Allamakee County and one in Clayton County. The Iowa DNR
is awaiting the final set of test results from the special collection in
Allamakee and Clayton counties in January.
“We will set up a meeting in Wayne County to discuss what
this means for local hunters and landowners and listen to their concerns and
together we will form a plan to try to prevent or contain this from getting a
solid foothold,” he said.
Chronic wasting disease is a neurologic disease of deer
and elk, belonging to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. Though it shares certain features
with other TSEs like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“Mad Cow Disease”) or
scrapie in sheep, it is a distinct disease apparently affecting only deer,
moose and elk. It is always fatal.
The disease first appeared in the wild deer herd in
2013 and each year since, the Iowa DNR has placed extra emphasis on tracking
the movement and attempting to stop or slow the disease
with the cooperation of successful hunters.
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