[ODFW-News] ODFW asks for hunters* assistance with monitoring animals for CWD -- date correction --

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
For more information call: Information and Education 503-947-6002
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  


For immediate release	Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004

ODFW asks for hunters' assistance with monitoring animals for CWD
-- date correction --

SALEM - During the upcoming deer and elk hunting seasons the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking deer and elk hunters to assist
with collection of vital wildlife disease information. 

"We are asking hunters to bring their deer and elk carcasses to
biological check stations or their nearest ODFW office to be sampled for
chronic wasting disease," said Colin Gillin, ODFW state wildlife
veterinarian.  

While the disease has not been found in Oregon wildlife to date, Gillin
noted that chronic wasting disease (CWD) is spreading and now infects
deer and elk in 12 states and two Canadian provinces. CWD is a fatal
neurological disease of deer and elk.

"Chronic wasting disease is part of a unique family of chronic
neurologic diseases called prion diseases or transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies," said Gillin. "The disease was recognized more
than 30 years ago as a syndrome in a state wildlife research facility in
Colorado. Its natural hosts include mule deer, white-tailed deer and
elk. Sheep and cattle have not been found to be naturally susceptible to
CWD." 

The disease is present in wild populations of deer and elk, and occurs
in farmed deer and elk maintained for agricultural purposes. CWD
currently is found in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming and
Utah, as well as the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Observations
of infected deer and elk in captivity indicate that the disease is
highly contagious. However, the exact mechanism of transmission has not
been identified. CWD likely exits the animal in saliva or feces and then
re-infects susceptible deer and elk by direct contact between animals or
by environmental contamination.  

Another concern and avenue for the introduction of CWD into the state
is via hunter-harvested deer and elk from states that have CWD-infected
animals, noted Gillin. Precautionary measures taken to protect
Oregon's wildlife from CWD and keep the disease from entering
Oregon include a ban on deer and elk carcass parts containing central
nervous system tissue from animals killed in states or provinces with a
documented case of CWD. 

The following parts may be imported:
* Meat cut and wrapped commercially or privately;
* Meat that has been boned out;
* Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column
or head attached;
* Hides and/or capes with no head attached;
* Skull plates with antlers attached that have been cleaned of all meat
and brain tissue (velvet antlers are allowed);
* Antlers with no tissue attached (velvet antlers are allowed);
* Upper canine teeth (buglers, whistlers and ivories); and
* Finished taxidermy heads.

The locations and dates of voluntary CWD check stations where hunters
may bring deer and elk carcasses to be sampled for chronic wasting
disease are:

Burns Region check station: Oct. 2-4, located at 237 South Hines Blvd.
Contact Bob Hooton (541-388-6363) for more information.

Lakeview Region check station: Oct. 2-4, located at 95691 Highway 140
approximately 1 mile west of Lakeview. Contact Craig Foster
(541-947-2950) for more information.

LaGrande Region check station: Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 29-31, located at the
Animal Health Center, 10302 Oregon Highway 82 in Island City. Contact
Leonard Erikson (541-963-2138) for more information.

Additional check stations may be set up at other locations throughout
the course of hunting seasons. ODFW will provide additional
notifications as check stations are opened.

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