2010-03-27 05:01:35 - Biological Hazard - USA EDIS CODE: BH-20100327-25477-USA
Date & Time: 2010-03-27 05:01:35 [UTC]
Area: USA, State of Wisconsin, Wisconsin-wide, Not confirmed information! Description: Deadly chronic wasting disease continues to spread, threatening the state's deer population and hunting culture. The percentage of deer testing positive for CWD in 2009 continued to increase statewide, but fewer deer tested positive in Rock and Walworth counties, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. More than 7,100 deer were tested for CWD in 2009 in the CWD management zone, with 175 testing positive, the DNR reported. In Rock County, 18 deer tested positive in 2009 compared to 21 in 2008, the DNR reported. In Walworth County, four deer tested positive in 2009 compared to seven in 2008. The DNR has no easy way to manage CWD, but the agency believes the disease poses a threat to the long-term health of Wisconsin's deer herd, said Davin Lopez, CWD coordinator for the DNR. The DNR is currently creating a new CWD management plan, which could be done in the fall, he said. The DNR's goal is to minimize CWD's spread until someday a vaccine or other solutions help fight the disease, Lopez said. CWD threatens the state's hunting heritage, he said. "I think we're going to have to think outside the box and be adaptive," he said. "We want to limit it to where it is in preparation for the day we have more tools." In eight years, adult male deer testing positive for CWD has increased from 10 to 12 percent, according to the DNR. Adult female deer testing positive has increased from 4 to 6 percent. Yearlings also have seen an increase.
In Wyoming, CWD slowly spread in deer over time, eventually infecting about 40 percent of deer in some herds, Lopez said. The DNR doesn't want Wisconsin to follow that trend, fearing it could wipe out hunting completely, he said. "We're trying to protect the deer for generations down the road," Lopez said. CWD was discovered in southern Wisconsin in February 2002. About 159,000 deer have been tested for the disease, with about 1,350 testing positive. The DNR created a CWD management zone to minimize the disease's spread. The zone includes all or parts of 16 counties in south central Wisconsin including Rock, Walworth, Jefferson and Green counties.
The name of Hazard: Chronic Wasting Disease (Deer)
Species: Animal
Status: Confirmed
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