CWD Identified in a Montcalm County Farmed Deer

For immediate release: March 28, 2019
Media contact: Jessy Sielski (MDARD), 517-284-5725 or
Ryan Soulard (DNR), 517-284-6184

LANSING – The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural and Development and Natural Resources have confirmed chronic wasting disease in a two-year-old female white-tailed deer from a Montcalm County deer farm. The sample was submitted for routine testing as a part of the state’s CWD surveillance program for farmed deer.

In Montcalm County, 83 CWD-positive free-ranging deer have been identified. This part of the state is an active CWD Management Zone. All deer farms in Michigan are required to submit samples for testing regularly; however, deer farms in a CWD Management Zone are quarantined and must participate in increased surveillance.

As a part of MDARD’s disease response, an investigation will be conducted to rule out exposure of any other farmed deer.

“The test results and age of the deer indicate that this deer was recently infected, emphasizing the importance of early detection through surveillance,” said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM. “MDARD and DNR work together, in partnership with the state’s deer farmers, to ensure the protection of all of Michigan’s deer.”

“With a disease like CWD, everyone’s actions matter,” said DNR state wildlife veterinarian, Kelly Straka, DVM. “Whether you are a deer producer submitting samples for surveillance or a hunter practicing safe carcass disposal, we all have a role to play in minimizing the risk of disease spread.”

Since May 2015, when the first free-ranging white-tailed CWD-positive deer was found in Michigan, CWD has been confirmed in free-ranging white-tailed deer in the Lower Peninsula from Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ionia, Ingham, Jackson, Kent, and Montcalm counties. Additionally, a CWD-positive deer was found in the Upper Peninsula in Dickinson County in October of last year. Baiting and feeding of deer and elk is not allowed in the Lower Peninsula.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. CWD can be transmitted directly from one animal to another, as well as indirectly through the environment. Infected animals may display abnormal behavior, progressive weight loss and physical debilitation. To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.

More information about CWD can be found at Michigan.gov/CWD.

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