Budget Negotiations Continue; No End in Sight Oct 13, 2007
Citing reduced funding for strategies to combat the Chronic Wasting Disease in the deer herd, the DNR is ending its pantry program in the CWD zones in southwest Wisconsin only ... We want them tested and when the test is negative (for CWD), we want to make sure the venison gets into the hands of needy families and food pantries. (Agri-View, WI)
Mountain lion killed in Spearfish Oct 6, 2007
You as a non hunter provide how much money for the state biologists to go test deer for CWD. Zero, zilch nada. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
DNR: Too many deer in Hixon Forest Sep 28, 2007
002 wrote on Sep 28, 2007 8:05 AM:" To Everyone: Bobo obviously has CWD disease himself. Bobo, lay off the prozac " ... Nikki Beaverhausen wrote on Sep 28, 2007 7:44 AM:" What ever happened to the CWD that was killing all the deer? HOW did they ever flourish? ". (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Plague infects eastern Fall River County prairie dogs Sep 26, 2007
lemmings migrate to the sea, deer get mange or CWD, and prairie dogs get the plague. when will all the animal rights activists, govt agencies etc. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Shaurette: Stanley resident helps preserve wildlife Sep 23, 2007
CWD has been in our midst in the south-central part of Wisconsin since at least 2001 and since that time over 32 million has been spent tracking and studying its potential effect on the deer herd and there still seems to be many questions left unanswered ... As someone who keeps a pretty close watch on farming in his area, Al has some very legitimate concerns on whether CWD could someday cross over to livestock ... The stakeholder advisory committee is made up of 18 people from various walks of... (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Outdoors : Deer season forecast - larger herd than usual Sep 21, 2007
NOTE: All CWD units are unlimited earn-a-buck for the entire 2007 season except for the Youth Gun Deer Hunt. Tell us what you think. (Forest Republican, WI)
VHS n Just How Serious Is This Fish Disease and What Can Be Done About It? Sep 13, 2007
When we dealt with CWD in the deer industry, we ve used USDA appraisers to determine the value of the deer, he said. Ehlenfeldt frankly admitted VHS is new we don t know all that is going on. (Agri-View, WI)
Tri-Point student, bus driver remain hospitalized Sep 8, 2007
To: CWD wrote on Sep 6, 2007 4:33 PM:" You talk about the cars refusing to slow down, but what about the farmers refusing to use the 'country' roads and opting to use major roads because it is more convenient ad the farmers do not want to risk damaging their equipment? What you are trying to say is that farmers are so important, that everyone else should be willing to inconvenience themselves so the farmer does not have to be inconvenienced. I seriously hope the farmer gets tagged with the costs... (The Pantagraph newspaper)
Soil Particles Found To Boost Prion's Capacity To Infect Jul 9, 2007
The rogue proteins that cause chronic wasting disease (CWD) exhibit a dramatic increase in their infectious nature when bound to common soil particles, according to a new study. Writing in the journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Pathogens, a group led by University of Wisconsin-Madison prion expert Judd Aiken reports that prions, the protein agents of a family of fatal brain disorders, bind tightly to a common soil mineral and significantly increase the oral transmissibility of the agent. (Science Daily)
July 2: Officials fear 'wasting disease' in animals Jul 3, 2007
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible neurological disease of deer and elk that produces small lesions in brains of infected animals ... CWD is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), and is similar to mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep ... Infectious agents of CWD are neither bacteria nor viruses, but are hypothesized to be prions. (Westerly Sun, RI)
Commonwealth Deer & Elk Herds Appear to be Free of CWD Jun 1, 2007
Commonwealth Deer erds Appear to be Free of CWD By The PA Game Commission. HARRISBURG - Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was not detected in samples taken from hunter-killed deer during the state's 2006 hunting season, according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, PA Game Commission wildlife veterinarian ... Because CWD was identified in New York and West Virginia in 2005, Cottrell noted that the agency continues to increase the number of deer samples it collects for testing. (Honesdale Wayne Independent, PA)
New Medi-Cal rules may oust patients May 24, 2007
The CWD estimates that 6. 5 million people would be required to provide proof of citizenship, a number which experts anticipate will fall by at least two-thirds as counties use internal verification methods, such as previous Social Security records on file, to verify a patient's citizenship. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Three more deer test positive for CWD in Hampshire Co. May 13, 2007
ROMNEY The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that three more free-ranging white-tailed deer in Hampshire County, West Virginia, tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This brings the total number of CWD-positive deer found in Hampshire County to 13 ... These most recent samples were collected from a total of 101 adult deer taken in March and April by DNR personnel as part of an ongoing and intensive CWD surveillance effort. (Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune, WV)
Outdoors : DNR seeks help with deer health check-up May 10, 2007
This year, said DNR's Northern Region Wildlife Supervisor, Mike Zeckmeister, e are sampling deer from every county in our Northern Region as part of state on-going CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) surveillance ... DNR has been testing large sections of the state outside the CWD zone to confirm the disease is still confined to free ranging deer in that area ... CWD was not found in a similar check last year in 18 western counties of the state. (Forest Republican, WI)
• Science raises hopesin fight against CWD May 7, 2007
in fight against CWD ... But almost any news is good news in the fight against CWD when we consider that the state Department of Natural Resources has been struggling and largely ineffective in its attempts to contain much less eradicate the disease despite spending some $32 million since it was discovered in the state five years ago ... An audit last year showed the deer numbers in CWD infected zones had increased despite containment efforts and programs like "earn-a-buck" to encourage... (Racine Journal Times, WI)
DNR seeks public help in health check of deer herd May 5, 2007
"Our goal at DNR is a healthy deer herd. This year," said DNR's Northern Region Wildlife Supervisor Mike Zechmeister, "we are sampling deer from every county in our Northern Region as part of state on-going CWD surveillance." ... DNR has been testing large sections of the state outside the CWD zone to confirm the disease is still confined to free ranging deer in that area ... CWD was not found in a similar check last year in 18 western counties of the state. (Grantsburg Burnett County Sentinel, WI)
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology Apr 27, 2007
For the first time, a new study demonstrates that certain rodents can be directly infected with CWD and therefore serve as animal models for further study of the disease ... Chronic wasting disease (CWD), also known as mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans, is a transmissible prion disease most commonly found in deer and elk ... Conversion of the normal host protein to an abnormal disease-associated form is an important part in the tracking of prion diseases and... (EurekAlert!)
DNR finds no chronic wasting disease in area counties Mar 28, 2007
Not finding the disease outside of the CWD zones is good news, said Alan Crossley, the agency s disease project leader ... The audit praised the approach as one of the most aggressive in the 14 states where CWD has been found, but said the number of deer in those areas had grown from 26. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Commission receives draft bill, prepares to advertise proposal Mar 27, 2007
99 from CWD Government Inc., of Vernon Hill, Ill. for a laptop-computer for the sheriff's-department. (Shoals TimesDaily)
Wisconsin DNR wants more earn-a-buck areas Mar 22, 2007
Either-sex kills in CWD zones also won t be adequate this year, Warnke added ... He said he s not sure tampering with regulations in CWD zones is a good idea, but the congress likely won t raise any objections. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Wildlife official calls for Wind Cave elk hunting season Mar 21, 2007
All My Relations wrote on March 21, 2007 8:43 AM:"I hope that responsible hunters will re-read the CDC statement on CWD quote that I posted, as well as, read the information on the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website, particularly the section, 'Recommendations for Hunters.' The site can be found at: cwd-info dot orG. It provides a very detailed proceedure for field-dressing, carcass disposal, and cleaning of butchering tools. It also talks about personal safety precautions in handling and... (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Josef Hlasny Feb 27, 2007
The Prairie Star: Updates. Columbus rancher testifies against cattle imports. (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
Team Finds Crucial Protein Role In Deadly Prion Spread Jan 25, 2007
(April 14, 2006) -- Scientists have confirmed that prions, the mysterious proteins thought to cause chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, latch on tightly to certain minerals in soil and remain. . (Science Daily)
Groups aim to shut down captiveelk-ranching industry Jan 4, 2007
Nose-to-nose contact is one way elk can spread CWD, tuberculosis or other diseases that can devastate herds ... " So far, Oregon has sidestepped CWD outbreaks found in both exotic and native herds elsewhere, thanks largely to bans on imported big-game body parts from CWD states and curbs on importation of exotic elk species. But the Idaho escape has put elk-ranching into the cross-hairs of opponents like never before, aligning animal-rights and hunting groups like few issues can. "It's a diverse... (Mail Tribune, OR)
Oregon recreation report Dec 22, 2006
Hunters are being asked to drop off their deer heads at the local ODFW office within 48 hours of harvest for CWD testing ... Hunters are being asked to drop off their elk heads at the local ODFW office within 48 hours of harvest for CWD testing. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Trophy deer are out there Nov 26, 2006
If there is an outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD), the Game Commission wants to be ready for it. Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that it stays that way, said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director ... We are planning to collect samples from 4,000 hunter-killed deer to test for CWD in the upcoming firearms deer season. (The Citizen's Voice, PA)
Victims' families lash out at network, publisher, Simpson over book, interview Nov 17, 2006
"Compared to other states in which CWD has been identified, Wisconsin has taken an aggressive approach to addressing the disease," the audit said ... In a letter to state auditor Janice Mueller responding to the report, DNR Secretary Scott Hassett conceded CWD can't be eradicated in the near future. (North County Times)
Audit: Efforts to slow chronic wasting disease not working Nov 17, 2006
The audit praises the approach as one of the most aggressive in the 14 states where CWD has been found, but the number of deer in those areas has grown, from 26 ... To date, DNR s efforts to eradicate CWD in the free-ranging deer population have not been effective, state auditor Janice Mueller wrote ... It s impossible, said Bruce Weyh, a 49-year-old mechanic from Wisconsin Dells who hunts on 78 acres in a CWD zone in Columbia County. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Domestication Dilemmas Oct 17, 2006
CWD had been found in some wild deer in Utah, but never in wild or domestic elk. Live animals can not be tested for CWD the way they can for other diseases, so the state attempts to keep any elk with the disease out by requiring that all imported animals originate from herds that have been "participating in a verified CWD surveillance program for a minimum of five years," according to state elk farming rules ... The disease, which is related to mad cow disease, has been found in captive elk... (The Daily Universe, UT)
Chronic wasting disease found in animals Oct 15, 2006
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend against eating any animals that test positive for CWD. However, other officials also say there's no scientific evidence that humans can contract the disease from eating infected animals ... "There is a tendency for people to become alarmed when they hear something that makes them think their health might be at risk, but at this stage there is no evidence to suggest humans are susceptible to CWD,"... (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Chronic wasting disease passed by animal saliva Oct 6, 2006
CWD was first found in captive deer in Colorado in the 1960s and in wild elk in the 1980s ... CWD slowly destroys the brains of infected animals and is in the same family of prion diseases as mad cow in cattle or the fatal variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. (AZCentral -- News)
Wildlife agency releases disease plan Oct 3, 2006
With the presence of CWD confirmed in an animal, officials would capture and fit with radio collars 50 animals from the same area where the diseased animal was found. Samples would be taken from tonsils, to test for CWD, Feldner said ... "We have worked with the best scientific knowledge available and representatives from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Montana Department of Livestock and the public to come up with a flexible but comprehensive plan to help prevent... (Helena Independent Record)
Kapanke: "It's An Exciting Time To Be In Agriculture" Oct 3, 2006
"Animal healthDr. Bob Ehlenfeldt, the state veterinarian, said the two biggest issues for the animal health division at the present time are still chronic wasting disease (CWD) and Avian or bird flu.The federal CWD rule was published on July 22 and Oct. 19, 2006 is the effective date. "Several questions are still open," Ehlenfeldt said. "The federal rule says it preempts all state rules. "On premises identification, Ehlenfeldt estimated Wisconsin registration is at about 75 percent, with some... (Agri-View, WI)
Outdoors : Wildlife management choices unsettling Aug 25, 2006
Yet, every time there's an article about CWD, we still get media insinuating this could be a human health issue ... Meanwhile, retired wardens and biologists from Game and Fish can tell you about deer and elk with the same symptoms as CWD that they dispatched long before anybody knew about the disease. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
New rule to attempt to cut herd in CWD zones Jun 29, 2006
The rational behind the new rules is that hunters want a shorter season with simpler rules, and the DNR is trying to re-create the excitement that a shorter season brings, said Alan Crossley, CWD project manager for the DNR. ... There is absolutely no evidence that CWD can be eradicated in the wild deer herd, said Muehrcke, of Madison ... But Bryan Richards, CWD project leader for the U.S. Geological Survey s National Wildlife Health Center, said the state DNR s current strategy of significantly... (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Houston County Board OKs deer hunting preserve Jun 22, 2006
Ledebuhr s attorney, Skip Wieser, cited a letter from Carl Denkinger of the State of Minnesota Board of Animal Health stating all harvested animals over the age of 16 months are required to be tested for CWD through the submission of tissue samples to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. The threat of CWD was my main concern going into this ... Now I see CWD concerns are going to be bigger in the wild than in the preserve due to safeguards. (Winona Daily News, MN)
BOB LAMB: Audit of DNR Fish and Wildlife Account reveals good and bad news for anglers and hunters Jun 11, 2006
When asked what the financial impact was to fight chronic wasting disease, a fatal brain disease, in the state s deer herd, Hassett said a separate CWD audit is being conducted ... However, it didn t deal (with CWD) at length with this audit ... 3 million last year on CWD efforts. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Read more... May 20, 2006
In an effort to bring heightened awareness to the growing diabetes epidemic -- including the significance of diabetes in youth -- the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Children with Diabetes (CWD) -- two of the nation's leading diabetes advocacy groups -- will hold a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, June 8 at 10 a.m. Speakers will include representatives from both organizations, including volunteers traveling to Washington, D.C.. The Rally Against Diabetes kicks off a full... (PNN Online)
Houston County residents sound off on proposed deer preserve Apr 29, 2006
I appreciate the concerns about (CWD) and everyone wanting to keep the wild deer and captive deer healthy, said Holly Johnson, president of the Minnesota Deer Breeders Association and executive director of the North American Deer Farmers Association. Deer farms are more regulated than any other agricultural agency, and when disease is found it s eradicated right away, Johnson said. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Soil-bound Prions That Cause CWD Remain Infectious Apr 15, 2006
Scientists have confirmed that prions, the mysterious proteins thought to cause chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, latch on tightly to certain minerals in soil and remain infectious ... As animals regularly consume soil to meet their mineral needs, it's possible that prion-laden soil particles contribute to the transmission of prion disease such as CWD among animals ... CWD is a fatal, incurable condition that belongs to a family of prion-inflicted neurological disorders known as... (Science Daily)
Wasting disease found in more Alberta deer Feb 20, 2006
The province is taking disease-control actions based on recommendations of an International Expert Scientific Panel on chronic wasting disease and guided by Canada's National CWD Control Strategy. Local deer culls to eliminate new areas of infection and population reduction in high-risk areas are the recommended actions to control and prevent the spread of the disease. (Edmonton Journal)
Deer cull resumes in east Alberta Feb 19, 2006
That brings the total number of CWD cases in the province to eight since the first case was confirmed in September 2005 ... According to the Alberta government, more than 100 cases of CWD have been reported in wild deer in Saskatchewan ... CWD is thought to be spread from deer to deer. (Edmonton Sun)
Chronic wasting prions found in deer meat Jan 30, 2006
This finding along with reports last year that CWD can move into primates should raise some serious questions for hunters ... This is the first reported transmission of CWD to primates, the authors wrote in the Journal of Virology. (Corvallis Gazette Times)
Mad cow protein found in deer meat Jan 30, 2006
The condition, chronic wasting disease (CWD), is spreading among deer and elk in North America and now affects captive and wild herds in two Canadian provinces and 13 US states. CWD is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), as mad cow disease is commonly known, a disease in sheep called scrapie, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is linked to eating BSE-tainted beef ... It is unknown whether CWD can be transmitted to humans, although health officials in afflicted... (iAfrica.com)
Deer muscle may carry brain-wasting prions: study Jan 30, 2006
"We are concerned here in Canada with the possibility that hunters and native people are being exposed to CWD prions in what are called country foods, so we've got our eyes open. We're alert to the possibility that there could be a transmission." ... U.S. scientists found mice bred to be susceptible to CWD prions came down with the disease when given extracts of muscle meat from infected deer. (CBC Toronto)
Deer Muscle a Source of Infectious Prions Jan 28, 2006
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Findings from an animal study suggest that disease-cause prions can be spread via infected skeletal muscle from deer with chronic wasting disease (CWD) -- a wildlife illness related to mad cow disease. Whether CWD can be passed to humans is still unclear, but the present findings suggest that if this does occur, simply handling the meat of infected dear could pose a risk, senior author Dr. Glenn C. Telling, from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and colleagues... (MEDLINEplus)
Venison may carry mad cow-like agent: study Jan 27, 2006
They said leg muscle tissue taken from mule deer with chronic wasting disease (CWD) infected specially bred mice when they were injected with the tissue ... There is no evidence people can catch CWD. But after BSE swept British cattle herds in the 1980s, people began coming down with an odd version of CJD called vCJD, and it has been linked to eating infected beef ... Telling and colleagues used a well-established method to test the infectivity of venison, by breeding special mice that are... (Reuters UK -- Health)
Concern on deer disease Jan 27, 2006
"There is no evidence of CWD transmission to human hunters," CDC medical epidemiologist Dr. Ermias Belay said. "But studies are limited." He said he wouldn't hesitate to eat venison in regions where the disease has not shown up yet. (Newsday)
Pennsylvania Game Commission: CWD Not Found In Elk Samples; Cottrell Is Game Commission's New Wildlife Veterinarian Jan 24, 2006
Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Samples taken from hunter-killed elk during the state's 2005 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's new wildlife veterinarian ... In 2004, the agency collected samples from 3,699 hunter-killed deer, and all results came back negative for CWD. "Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are doing everything we... (PR Newswire)
Colorado looks to RFID to protect elk herds Jan 13, 2006
As part of his job, Leach tracks chronic wasting disease (CWD), a degenerative neurological illness endemic in Colorado and some other states. CWD is viewed as a very serious threat to both captive and wild cervids -- elk and deer -- and the state wants an automated system to track and isolate any CWD outbreaks to protect elk herds. (ComputerWorld)
