SPOKANE- The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed a second case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in an adult male white-tailed deer harvested by a hunter during the opening weekend of the modern firearm deer season.
The hunter harvested the deer close to where Washington’s first case of CWD was confirmed this summer in the Fairwood area of Spokane County.
“Given the location where this deer was harvested – just north of the initial CWD detection, approximately five miles north and west of Highway 395 – this positive test result is not a complete surprise,” said Donny Martorello, chief of WDFW’s Wildlife Science Division.
Lymph nodes from the deer were submitted to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) at Washington State University for testing on Oct. 16, and WDFW was notified this week to the positive results.
“The public can track confirmed cases of CWD on the Department’s CWD web page,” said Martorello. “Hunters can also use their WILD ID to look up the lab results from samples they submitted.”
CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that infects members of the Cervidae ‘deer’ family and is fatal in infected animals. TSEs are caused by malformed proteins called prions that can spread to other deer, elk, and moose through saliva, urine, other bodily fluids, and the environment. There is currently no cure for CWD, and it can only be confirmed through testing of lymph nodes or brain tissue.
WDFW has been running an extensive CWD testing program this hunting season in a proactive effort to prevent the spread of the disease to other areas of the state. Since the announcement on Aug. 1, changes have been made to rules that impact hunters, game salvagers, and people who feed wildlife, also in an effort to slow the spread of CWD. New rules include:
- It is illegal in those GMUs to hunt deer, elk and moose using any type of bait placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, scattered, or otherwise used for the purpose of attracting deer, moose, or elk with the intent to hunt them; or natural or synthetic scents that contain or are derived from cervid urine and glandular extracts.
- To reduce the risk of spreading CWD, if you harvest or salvage deer, elk, moose, or caribou in another state, province, or country, or within Washington’s 100 series GMUs, you can only transport certain parts of the carcass into the state or out of 100 series GMUs. The list of items that are lawful to transport are on WDFW’s CWD web page.
- It is illegal to place, deposit, distribute, or scatter feed including but not limited to grain, hay, minerals, salt, fruit, or other such substances or food types to feed, lure or attract deer, elk, or moose in GMUs 124 ,127, and 130.
More information on these rules, as well as how to have harvested or salvaged animals tested for CWD, how to get your test results, and other information pertaining to the disease, can be found on WDFW’s CWD web page. In addition, WDFW asks people to report sick or dead deer, elk, or moose that they encounter.
To date there are no confirmed cases of CWD transmission from wildlife to domestic animals or from cervids to other wild species. There is also no scientific evidence of CWD being transmitted from cervids to humans. To minimize risk, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends against consuming meat from an animal that has tested positive for CWD or any animal that appears sick.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.