CWD on the Rise

[Dan Andrews]

The OFAH Media Watch articles are just news stories the OFAH has found/received and prefers to pass along to our sporting community.

http://www.ofah.org/News/index.cfm?ID=88

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Officials say deer illness spreading

Author: Bill Kaufmann

Source: Calgary Sun June 24, 2008

<h3 align="center">Officials say deer illness spreading</h3> Growing numbers of deer stricken with a devastating BSE-like disease are being found in east-central Alberta, say provincial officials tasked with culling thousands of the animals.

Since October, 24 deer have been found with chronic wasting disease (CWD) -- the largest number discovered in a hunting season since 2005, said Darcy Whiteside, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

One of the contaminated deer was also found further north than expected, Whiteside said.

"That's an odd one and certainly a concern," said Whiteside, noting 53 CWD deer have now been found along Alberta's side of its border with Saskatchewan.

But he said the larger numbers of CWD cases might be the result of a more intensive and focused cull conducted by both provincial staff and hunters that destroyed 3,406 deer last winter.

"We're getting a better concept of where the higher concentrations are," he said.

But Calgary wildlife activist Darrel Rowledge, who's called for the end of game ranching that's bred CWD, said the province can expect no reduction to the growing threat to its wildlife population.

Since the fall, six game ranches in Saskatchewan -- believed to be the source of the Alberta cases of CWD -- have experienced outbreaks of the disease, he said.

As long as there's no concerted control of the transport of game ranched animals between the provinces, the threat will remain, said Rowledge. "It's way worse than they know -- this is anything but under control," he said.

"You've got a history of not applying science to policy."

Whiteside agreed the situation facing Alberta's deer population is potentially serious, being next door to a province where CWD is fairly widespread.

"You just have to look at Saskatchewan and see the situation they're in," he said.

Though there's yet to be proof of transmission of CWD to humans, Rowledge said the jury remains out -- and the World Health Organization has warned against allowing diseased animals to enter the food chain.

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