CWD found in New York

[elkguy]

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in captive white-tailed deer herd in New York.

Click the link.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050331/sc_nm/food_disease_usa_dc_3

[GSP]

Damn! There goes another one.

[Dev]

Does anyone think it will make its way into KY?

[elkguy]

We better pray that it does not.

[SixPack07]

I'm sure someday it will be everywhere. And if it's not CWD, it will be something else.

[schuyler olt]

David,

Do you know any more on the history of that deer or the other deer in that herd? I noted she was six years old, and we generally apply a five year incubation period, as you know. That would suggest that if she was born at that site, an infected deer was brought in from some other place. On the other hand, if she was brought in from some other place, she picked it up there. In either case, knowing where those deer came from would point to another area of potential outbreak.

This is exactly the risk inherent in allowing interstate transport of animals between ranches. Thanks for the post.

[SixPack07]

I guess I never heard of a 5 year incubation period. Maybe it can be up to 5 years, but I am pretty sure I've heard of deer a lot younger then 5 that have the disease, but I am not positive about that.

[schuyler olt]

Six,

It can definitely appear in less than five years. The general opinion is that symptoms haven't been seen in five years, the deer probably is CWD free. Of course, the science on this disease isn't real good, despite the tremendous efforts of many. CWD is just a tough disease to figure out, as are the human and bovine cousins.

[SixPack07]

I was going to do a little research study thing on it when I was in college when it was first discovered in Wisconsin, but it just never happened because I had too much going on. But the little research I did was interesting to see all the different theories people had of what could be causing it.

[elkguy]

I don't know the details yet, but we are following it closely. One article about it said that there were other captive herds that had been exposed to the infected deer and that they too had been quarantined. That means that either deer from this facility were sent to other places or that the infected deer had come from another facility.

The incubation period for CWD can be very short (months) or very long (several years). It is not caused by a virus or a bacteria. It is caused by an abnormal protein.

[grouseguy]

You know, the more I learn about this disease and the over-reactions that I witnessed in Wisconsin along with the NON-effect they are experiencing now, I just don't see this as a cost-effective use of our F&W $$$.

I agree with the ban on interstate transport to help confine the disease somewhat, but if and when it does hit KY, I just can't justify spending unreasonable amounts of manpower and money to attempt to eradicate it at that point. We should simply live with it like we do other wildlife diseases.

[daking]

As the League's representative on the task force studying CWD, I can assure you that it is not a given that it will spread to Kentucky. Further it is not a waste of time or resources to work to prevent its spread.

CWD is caused as, one poster correctly stated, by an abberant protien called a prion. These prions cause the cells of the brain and central nervous system to mutate into a spongy mass that does not contribute to neurofunction. The disease is transmitted by contact, be it animal to animal or animal to infected earth or animal to infected food (food previously used as browse by a sick animal). While the present standard is that if a herd is disease free for five years, it is considered CWD free, that 's a working standard. We do not know the period of time over which a prion remains viable. We do know that the only way to destroy a prion is by inceneration at extremely high temperature (1700 degrees, I think) or with chemicals. It can remain dormant in soil for an unknown lenght of time. Basically, CWD in soil may have the half-life of plutonium. There has also been research in the last couple of years that indicates that the prion that causes CWD may also be capable of causing mad cow disease and the human equivalent of CWD. In this light, we move from the realm of merely a hunting issue to one of public health.

All of this being said, we don't understand all of the risks. To say that the time and effort spent in preventing the spread of this disease is misplaced is like saying that studying the side-effects of drugs is a similar waste. Perhaps if more time was spent in researching Thalidomide, Phen-Fen, Redux and Vioxx before they hit the market, some real ills would have been avoided.

Deer hunting in Kentucky is a half billion dollar annual business. How much money and time is too much of an expenditure to protect it? Aside from our sporting traditions and quality of life issues, the dollars and sense do figure in. Whatever is spent in research and prevention today will be chump change when compared to the cost of remediation, should CWD enter Kentucky.

Terry Sullivan

[Multidigits]

Illinois has CWD and it hasn't cost them one penny in license or tag sales. In fact, they are raising the prices now, and they still sell out in just a few days. Wyoming is naother state with CWD that hasn't spent millions and they still sell all the licenses that they need to. There's no doubt that Wisconson over reacted to the situation on the attempted depopulation area.

[gwhilikerz]

When the population get too dense then disease is much more likely to break out. I don't like the idea of spending funds to "study" which usually means to hire an outside group or individual to set up a "program". Maybe we would be better off spending the same amount on salary increases for CO's, biologists, etc. now employed by kdfwr. I just learned here on this forum that some of the CO's are supplying their own shotguns and other equipment. To me that is a much more immediate problem than a "what if" scenario.

[NYbowhunter43]

I was at a gun club meeting tonight and they had a DEC rep there to talk about the new season changes. The topic of CWD came up. The deer found with CWD are from an upstate DEER FARM. They are going to be killing the rest of the deer on monday. I think he said they had 19 more to kill. They are very concerned even know these are captive deer. There concern is that the possiblty that wild deer may have had contact with the herd.

[SixPack07]

I don't think Wisconsin over reacted. It was something new to try. Didn't work like they wanted it to, but I think there is another way to look at it. Gave them an excuse to get rid of a lot of deer when nothing during the hunting season was working. They've reduced the deer density in that area to more realistic numbers, which wasn't being accomplished during the regular hunting seasons. Scared people into killing more deer.

[Willie]

I got this from another site...

Here is a update. I live 10 miles from where these deer were found to have CWD. I am VERY concerned.

It appears that the Verona NY Fire Dept has a annual Sportsmans Feast as a fund raiser. The venison from a CWD deer was served to approximately 350 people at this feast. (Glad I missed this event). The incubation period is 16 months & the deer appeared healthy at butchering. The head was sent in (after the feast) & determined to have CWD. I will keep you posted to any health issues that may arise. CWD isn't supposed to be transferable to humans, but I wouldn't want to take the chance

[CSS archer]

In reality the butcher that processed the deer would be more at risk than the people eating the meat. Contact or consumption of brain or spinal fluid would be the biggest threat, that's where the prions concenrate.

I hunt in the endemic cwd area of CO, I've never worried about eating elk or deer I've killed there. I debone everything and my biggest concern is not to overcook the steaks! Yum, yum!

[Willie]

This is looking real bad...


News from The NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets & The NYS

Dept. of Environmental Conservation

For more information: Jessica Chittenden, Ag & Mkts - 518-457-3136; Michael Fraser, DEC - 518-402-8000

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE UPDATE

Test Results Reveal Three Additional Positives From Index Herd

Public Meetings Scheduled for Friday & Saturday in Oneida County

ALBANY, NY -- (04/08/2005; 1200)(EIS) -- Test results from the two white-tailed deer herds confirmed positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Oneida County that were sampled earlier this week have revealed three additional deer infected with CWD.

The New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University conducted the CWD tests on the twenty deer, and notified the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) of the three positive test results, late last night.

The three white-tailed deer that tested positive for CWD all came from the index herd, owned by John Palmer, who at the time had 18 deer on his premises. Although DAM is still investigating the source of the infection, the prevalence of CWD in the Palmer herd provides some indication that the disease may be a more recent infection. The prevalence may also provide clues as to the source of infection and the risk to other captive herds and the surrounding wild deer population.

The detection of CWD in New York was due to the State's aggressive surveillance and monitoring program, which requires all captive deer herds to conduct routine sampling. After confirmation of two positive CWD cases in two separate captive white-tailed deer herds in Oneida County last week, DAM ordered the depopulation and testing of both herds in an effort to control the possible spread of the disease in New York State.

No additional positives were found in the two white-tailed deer tested at the second confirmed herd, owned by Martin Proper.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) plans to conduct intensive monitoring of the wild deer population surrounding both herds to determine if CWD has spread to wild deer. DEC will begin sampling the surrounding wild deer population next week to determine CWD status. Input and assistance from the public and local landowners will be essential in DEC's sampling efforts.

DEC and DAM will hold two public meetings to inform the public of efforts being made in Oneida County in response to CWD. The first meeting will be held tonight, Friday, April 8, 2005, at 7 p.m. at the Oneida County Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Oriskany. The second meeting will be held tomorrow, April 9, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. at the Westmoreland Middle School.

CWD is a transmissible disease that affects the brain and central nervous system of certain deer and elk. There is no evidence that CWD is linked to disease in humans or domestic livestock other than deer and elk.

More information on CWD can be found at the State Department of Agriculture and Markets' website at www.agmkt.state.ny.us, at the State Department of Environmental Conservation's website at www.dec.state.ny.us or the State Department of Health's website at www.health.state.ny.us.

[SixPack07]

I guess I'd expect more then just one deer to be found to be diseased.