Deer recently testing positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) mark new hunt areas where the disease has been discovered.

CWD is a chronic, fatal disease of the central nervous system of white and mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and in rare cases, moose.

Two doe mule deer near Cody tested positive in April. One deer was found dead east of Wapiti in deer Hunt Area 111 and the other exhibited signs of illness within Cody city limits in Hunt Area 113, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

A dead doe mule deer recently found by a Game and Fish employee near Thayne in Hunt Area 145 also tested positive, according to the Game and Fish.

The first CWD-positive deer in the Cody region was discovered on the South Fork of the Shoshone River in Hunt Area 112 last year, although other positive deer have turned up in the Meeteetse and Worland areas in the past, said Alan Osterland, Game and Fish wildlife supervisor in Cody.

For the first time in several years an ungulate has tested positive on the west side of the Continental Divide, according to Game and Fish.

West of the divide, a moose tested positive in Star Valley in 2008. In 2012 three mule deer were positive within Green River’s city limits.

“Seeing a deer test positive for CWD west of the Continental Divide again is concerning,” said Scott Edberg, deputy chief of the Wildlife Division. “We have tested thousands of deer, elk and moose in this area and have not seen a positive for many years. Game and Fish will look closely at this case to see if we can gain additional information and will continue to monitor aggressively in the area.”

The spread of CWD on elk feed grounds is a concern, but elk don’t appear to be as susceptible.

“It doesn’t seem to impact them as much on a population scale as deer,” Osterland said.

Cody area CWD testing has been ongoing for 10-15 years, Osterland said.  “We’ve been testing for CWD statewide for a long time,” he said.

Over 2,600 CWD samples have been collected in and adjacent to deer hunt areas 111 and 113 since 2003. Game and Fish has sampled more than 2,400 animals for CWD in and adjacent to deer Hunt Area 145 since 2003.

Game and Fish is updating its CWD management strategy and receiving direction from the Game and Fish Commission to intensify efforts to further manage the disease.

“Game and Fish is always concerned about seeing CWD spread,” Edberg said. “We have a very active monitoring program and finding these infected deer shows the program is effective. The challenge now is to build on work to slow the transmission of CWD. Game and Fish is moving ahead with developing strategies for building on CWD management, surveillance and research.”

Finding a cure for the disease is still in the experimental stages, Osterland said. Preventing the spread of CWD is prompting considerable discussion. One option — depopulating CWD animals — reduces prevalence, but it does not entirely eradicate the disease in that particular population. 

Hunter caution

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not proven CWD can be transmitted to humans, but nonetheless does not recommend humans eat meat from CWD positive animals, Osterland said.

The risk, if any, of transmission of CWD to humans is low, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But, people should avoid eating meat of animals from the deer family that look sick or test positive for CWD. Hunters should wear gloves when field-dressing carcasses, bone-out the meat from the animal and minimize handling of brain and spinal cord tissue.

Cattle infection unlikely

Evidence suggests that CWD can be transmitted from animal to animal or from animal to soil, water and plants back to another animal, according to Game and Fish. The prion proteins can probably be shed in saliva, urine or feces and can contaminate the environment. The most likely rout of exposure is through ingestion. Studies conducted by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the University of Wyoming concluded that it is highly unlikely that domestic cattle can contract CWD.

To learn more about CWD, go to tinyurl.com/CWD-info.

“We thank all of the people who keep an eye out for wildlife exhibiting signs of illness,” Edberg said. “Removing those animals is one way we know can help slow the spread of diseases like CWD. Please call Game and Fish if you see any animal that seems sick or dying.”