Whitetail Deer Photos

Discuss CWD Here

From: Pat Lefemine Date: 17-Apr-01

Pat Lefemine's Supporting Link

Discuss our latest article on Chronic Wasting Disease here. To view the article if you are coming from the conferences, click the link above.

Thanks Pat, very informative and to the point.

CWD has come to Canada and escaped into the wild in SK. It is thought that the disease has spread to wild deer by way of "game farm" elk imported from CO/WY. I beleive that the importation of game farm elk/deer is the greatest threat to wild animals that exists today. However, this type of ranching seems to be proliferating rather than downsizing. There are more elk behind fences in Canada than there are in the wild. Anybody see anything right about this situation?

Randy in AB

How does CWD spread?

I copied the article and sent it to my dad. You would not beleive all the misconceptions the ARA community is spreading about the disease!

Not sure why under the "Fact" section of this article that it said CWD & Mad Cow were grouped in the same "virus family". As the article stated neither are caused by a virus. On a news show, I heard the man (forget his name) responsible for discovering the prions that cause these diseases state that, "prions will be the black pelage of this century". As of that shows airing, it was my impression that there is no known way to kill the prion.

I think there are too many unknowns to make any definitive statements about this disease.

Doug

You can't kill a prion as it's not alive. Kuru is a similar disease caused by prions that is found in canibal humans.

Well Pappy is right, we have a confirmed case of CWD in Saskatchewan. Our game department has increeased the harvest numbers to try to minimize the risk of it running rampant through our herds. The infected mule deer was shot in close proximity to a game farm where cwd was found in some captive elk and this is too much of a coincidence for me to just swallow. Game farming needs to have double fences to protect our wildlife from contact with domestic animals at a minimum. Im no scientist but have had specific reports that people have seen wild elk nose to nose with some of the captive elk and now I wonder why there was never any thought put into keeping the wildlife away from the domestic animals. I know the ARA's are all over this because it seems to be one of our week spots right now that they can attack, but we need to get our heads out of the sand and realize that as a whole, hunters did not speak up enough about the possibilities of disease transfer from wild to domestic and vise-versa. I can see the desire to farm these animals, easy to look after and heartier than most of our other domestic animals but I think now we are about to discover what can happen without the proper safeguards. CWD is here in Saskatchewan, What the heck can we do about it? None of the options seem too good to me and as I said earlier, our game department has decided that eradication of the majority of animals near where the infected animal was harvested is the way to go. Some one want to thank the game farmers? I didnt think so!

We found 2 whitetail does last week. One so week she couldn't get up and one so sick that she would wobble 3 or 4 steps and fall down. We wanted to dispatch them immediately, but decided to call the Missouri Dept of Conservation. After 9 calls on my mobile, we finally got an agent to come check it out. 90 minutes later. He shot them both, right beside the road, and was taking them for examination. He said it looked loke CWD. Both does were along 7 hiway at the Lake City Ammunitions plant. (About 20 miles East of Kansas City Missouri)

Greg

Thanks to Pat and the Doc for the factual piece on CWD. There has been a bunch of misinformation out there and your article should help hunters.

Show-Me Greg, there are several things that deer die of that have similar sypmtoms to CWD. Hope your CO had the heads sent to a test facility. That is the only way to tell for sure at this time.

Elkchaser

BigJim........You said "Game farming needs to have double fences to protect our wildlife from contact with domestic animals at a minimum"

I wholeheartedly agree........where is the double fence?????

Pat there have been a number of threads on this a couple months back. There are reports of 15% of the mule deer in parts of CO with CWD. Squirrel brains are believed to have given some people who have eaten them a form of CJD. Animals are believed to pick it up feeding in areas where infected animals urinate and deficate. CWD can exist in the soil for long periods of time, and standard soil sterilization doesn't seem to have any effect on CWD contamination. It is also thought that nose to nose contact can transmit CWD. There is believed to be a long incabation time between frist exposure and symptoms. Monkey brains are thought to be a source of CJD. The World Health Organization has a different veiw than the US about CWD.

My aunt recently died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which is in the same class of diseases as CWD. While I don't see any clear threat to human health from CWD, my aunt's experience leads me to think that we should not ignore CWD. As you can tell from the articles, there isn't much known about the disease and how it is transmitted. Hopefully all the recent attention will result some solid research that will at least answer some basic questions.

Horn Hunter Our CO called me Friday night to update me. They are sending the heads in for test to confirm CWD. If it is, he is worried. Both of these deer were in the wild. NO fences. Greg

Greg, I hope you can continue updates, Thanks. Ron

Colorado has a new pamphlet out on CWD I got mine about a week ago. I hunt the Larimer co.area and just don't know what to think about it. The percentages are really low for elk but who knows.

Show-Me Greg,

Good deal that the deer heads were sent for testing. Hope they come back negative.

Elkchaser (don't know why I automatically got labeled Hornhunter in the previous post)

greg, not to be an ass, but I doubt your CPO has seen a case of CWD before. It is a good thing they sent the heads for testing, but for him to say it "looks like CWD" is irresponsible. There are many diseases that have some of the same signs as CWD. Testing will tell.

What is the ARA?

I don't think that 10 miles can be considered 'close proximity' when talking about wild animals and in particular the mule deer that was found in Sask., there's been many studies done in the US on deer movement and from what I've read, a doe will rarely travel outside a 2 sq. mile area in her lifetime. The deer found in Sask. was 10 miles from the nearest game farm and 2 miles from the Alberta border.

How do we know that CWD hasn't always been in the wild population?....it's high population concentrations in a small area that has brought this to light - hence the issue with game farms. Our wild populations are so spread out that CWD likely doesn't get a chance to proliferate, we are seeing it in the wildlife in those few states because their populations are way higher than ours for the same area. Colorado alone has in excess of 300,000 head of elk in an area a third the size of Alberta?

WE can't assume that CWD came from game farms just because we don't like them, it's more likely that game farm animals contracted it(most game farm animals originated from the wild) from the wild and because they're concentrated in high numbers living on the same land all the time it became more evident. CWD aside I would be more worried about game farm elk catching some disease or parasite from a wild elk than the other way around.

Do you really think that two different animal species would let themselves get close enough to touch noses? come on! get a grip! Let's use some common sense out there!

Longshot

You've never seen 2 animal species touch noses????????

longshot........ARA = Animal Rights Activist. I don't know what ARA's are saying about CWD, but you can't stick your head up your butt and ignore that CWD exists (I am not referring to you or your butt, I am referring to our collective butts). It does, therefore it is a threat. Nobody said 2 different species (elk/deer) would get close enough to touch noses. Someone said in some other thread that he saw a wild elk and a game farmed elk touch each other (why aren't game farms double fenced?). However, nobody knows how CWD is spread, therefore, touching may not be a factor in the spread of this disease. CWD has NEVER been found in AB animals. Now that there is an outbreak of CWD in SK, close to the AB border, will AB animals be infected? I certainly hope not but only continued testing can confirm this. Did the SK outbreak of CWD originate from game farmed elk? I can't prove it but I believe it. Your 2 mile theory does not explain away anything in the spread of this disease. Given your theory, all it would take is 5 deer to move the disease 10 miles.

Pappy - If you read a little into Big Jim's statements, by saying that elk touch noses through the fence, which I've witnessed, he insinuates that the Sask. mule deer was infected by touching noses with the infected elk that were slaughtered. I also never said CWD doesn't exist, all I'm questioning is the origin. It's so easy to jump on the bandwagon and say hhmmmm?, game ranching is relatively new to here, and now CWD is found it must have come from the game farms where else? Just maybe, Einstein, just maybe it was there all along, we've only now been able to identify it THANKS to game farms.

Deer invariably get fenced into game farms and for whatever reasons they are hard to let out without letting some of your valuable stock get out also, so they end up living the rich life behind fence. I've seen many, and watched them endlessly, the animals seemed to have a 'comfort' distance with each other of about 5-10 feet, but never have I seen them actually touch noses, and because of their inherent wild tendencies, doubt that they would let it happen, it might happen, but not likely.

Our wild populations are more likely to catch some disease from a cattle operation than they would be from a game farm simply because they can graze the same land as the cattle, come in contact with their feces- not likely to happen from a game farm for obvious reasons- they can't get access to graze. However....there were likely wild animals on the land before it was fenced for a game farm.....see where I'm going yet? It seems that the wild populations are somewhat immune to cattle diseases or we wouldn't have any, they would be wiped out. Common sense makes it a real longshot that a wild animal would contract something from a captive one.

Just ramblin' again....Sorry about the intelligence thing above, you just seem really narrow minded when it comes to this issue.

Longshot

I'm not narrow minded longshot. I just don't support game farms. Whereas you do. Now I am not going to insult you about that (because that would be narrow minded). I don't read anything into what Big Jim said except for exactly what he said, and he said nothing about deer gettin' friendly with elk. We can probably agree on at least two things: we don't know if it originated in the wild or on game farms and we don't know (precisely) how it is spread. I have my beliefs, you have yours.

Longshot, that 2 sq. mile thing for does is right. Many young does will end up with home ranges overlapping their mothers home range. How ever with bucks this is different. Young bucks can and do set up home ranges well over 10 miles from were they where born. And mature bucks can and do travel long linear distances during the rut. So 10 miles isn't much.

CWD may be something new that has been introduced thur the animal feed. Say a variant of scapies like mad cow. Game farms use feed.

As far as two different animal species touching noses. Yes I do think so. Just read the thread on the leatherwall about the young whitetail trying to touch it's nose to the end of a blue herons bill. Young animals often do things that a mature animal may not. There are many things we don't witness in the wild that do happen.

Now I haven't anything against game farms so that is not an issue with me. However game farms have been linked to the spread of this problem like it or not.

Doug SC - Unless you're using ground up animal parts as they did in Europe/GB, I don't see how feed would come into the picture. To my knowledge, game farm animals get nothing more than high quality hay and grain, when fed rations, they consist of high protein rolled legumes/grain(peas,corn and oats-barley) with added minerals / vitamins.

Longshot

You are right about the feed "now", but before the MAD cow thing in England animal parts where used to add protien to feed here also. CWD started killing animal at a penned location near Ft. Collins CO in the late 60's and early 70's it wasn't until some time in the 80's that it was discovered to be similar to scrapies in sheep. It was spread to other areas by supplying elk and mule deer to other game farms, and by releasing elk and deer from those farms.

I live and hunt in the area of Wyo. where CWD has been found. I am also a friend of one of the experts on the disease. They do not know if Cwd can be transmitted between species via a vector such as blow flies, magpies, etc. These species may feed on the remains of infected animals and travel great distances. It is also not known if this disease can lay dormant in the ground where an infected animal has died. We have all of our harvests tested in this area as seemingly healthy animals have tested positive for CWD. This disease was brought to WYO to be tested by the G & F and was not detected in this area before it was brought in for study. The research facility in C0 took drastic steps to rid its facility of any contaminated animals , soil, buildings, fences, etc. only to have CWD re-appear at the facility. If you hunt in an area wher htis disease has been found, have your animal tested after harvest. If you are not worried for yourself think of yor children.

A potential cure is being studied for Mad Cow, CWD, CJD, Alzheimers, and Lou Gehreg's disease which may share a similar underlying cause. They seem to smother nerve cells with agglomerations of protiens that neither drugs nor the immune system can break down. Biochemist Yair Argon of the university of Chicago has found a protien they calla chaperone that seems to prevent the protien build up. He hopes to soon begin trials with mice. The source I read is in the June 2001 issue of Discover magizine.

Good stuff! Thanks for the info! That's sure encouraging to hear things like a possible cure, a little more positive rather than all the anti-game farm bull.

Longshot

I moved to Wisconsin only a few years ago and having hunted in several other states, I have NEVER been so dissapointed and frustrated in the management of deer. Granted this may be only where I live, but it has been 6 weeks since I have seen a deer with a spotlight, in the evening, and on my food plot. I urge every Wisconsin resident to express their concerns to the WDNR. Naturally, it will take more than one to make a difference. The senseless pounding that the deer take in back to back to back to back rifle seasons in an effort to eliminate deer is working, and no I don't live in the eradication zone. I am in a T-zone, shoot as many antlerless deer that you want for like $5 a pop. And yes there are idiots out there bragging about the 15 button bucks they killed and the other 30 does. Way to go champs! How do I explain to my kid when the day comes for him to hunt deer that he has a better chance of killing a whitetail in Tanzania. Attend local DNR public meetings, write letters, and make phone calls to the DNR and state officials. The only way to help our future is to voice our concerns and help explain to others(your hunting buddies) Quality Deer Management, because at this point, I couldn't even classify what is going on here as Quantity Deer Management!

Welcome to my nightmare.We've had 5 years of unlimited doe permits plus rifle seasons through out the months of sept oct nov dec. Say good bye to your hunting and remember not to bash those game farms. Might be the only place to show your grandkids what a deer looks like....marty

Pat- Your information is as good or better than any other theory about CWD. I enjoyed reading it.

However, I would comment that hunters and sportsman should calm down a little about the "CWD Boogeyman" until more facts are known so that decisive action can be taken someday. It's not time to leave the woods just yet:)

Becareful of course. It's like getting in the habit of using a safety belt while driving or in a tree stand. Put your gloves on while field dressing and help prevent the spreading of bones. Report strange acting animals and help support regulation to keep CWD within the confines of the pens.

Good Hunting

John Tice

i would reccomend doing a search with CWD and reading some of the more current opinions.

There is very good laboratory data supporting the fact that prion diseases can and are spread via contact with contaminated urine and feces.

There has been opinion pubished that CWD is a naturally occuring disease and this has been grabbed onto as a hope of the cervid farming industry. However, with the increase testing of deer and elk for CWD, to support this hypothesis, CWD positive animals should be found in all areas, not just in known affected areas. There is no data to support this theory.

The use of animal based protien supplementation is the most likely source of the introduction of BSE into Japan, which supports the "contaminated" feed theory. The US government has taken action to prevent this here by not allowing rendered cattle and sheep protien to be used as feed supplements in cattle, however such feed can be used for chicken, fish, hogs,CERVIDS, etc. Their offal can be rendered into cattle feed.

Considering that experiments have shown that the abnormal prions are not destroyed by natural enviromental factors, chemical treatment, etc and that they need to be incinerated at high temps....it begs the question about supplementing animal feed with any animal based protiens.

These times call for a conservative approach to the prevention of spread, not a panic approach. There should be increased regulation of cervid farming to prevent contact with wild animals, strict record keeping as to health and disposition of the animals raised, and control over the transportaion of these animals between and among states. A very close look at the urine based scent industry should be taken...untill these products can be tested and safte to spread in the enviroment, they should be banned. Which means that more financial support should be for research into all aspects of CWD.

jack

Jack- I would say that I hate the idea that anyones business could fail from regulation by guessing about the spread of CWD.

I have the same question you have about natural scents....but not a serious fear of them at this point. Sounds like having a heavy finger on the panic button to say that CWD could be spread by the use of natural scents by hunters. Seems pretty Iffy. Pat's post pretty well spells that out in the "contact" subject.

Being proactive when addressing theory doesn't always work like we think. CWD emergency rulings in Illinois this year dictated that we must terminate mineral licks that feed deer. I am sure the rationale is to prevent the gathering of big deer numbers and in many cases I suppose this has worked. But in my area, deer and cattle coexist in the same habitat. My theory is that deer will be feeding with cows in feed lots for minerals after all the old randomly scattered deer licks are finally closed. I would think that would make a cattle farmer nervous when thinking about CWD.

JMO

john

there is ample laboratory evidence about the spread via urine/feces. not being able to test urine based scent products and the fact that so many of the captive herds have seen the disease makes it worthwhile stopping the use of these products until they can be proven safe.

the spread of CWD (like BSE in Great Britian)is definately related to economics. Most experts agree that animal protien based supplements made from downer animals and sheep had much to do with the spread of BSE thru England, Europe and even Japan. Animal based protiens are much cheaper to produce and with the small margin between loss and profit....

most of the decisions on how to approach and handle the CWD problem will have some economical effect....but then, who has the most to loose should the problem get out of hand? A relatively small number of cervid farmers--hunters--the governing bodies who make money on licensing fees? Nobody will be unafected...

That's why I support a conservative approach to dealing with CWD by dealing with what is known at present and eliminating those risks. As the knowledge base grows, rules and regulations can be modified in the same spirit.

jack

" Since 1981, only about 100 cases of CWD have been reported in wild mule deer, white-tailed deer, and elk "

And WI is killing 90% of the deer herd in one are so they can keep it from being 5% infected ? Incredible leap of logic to get to that point.

I wonder how many found in captive herds ?? Interesting ... wheres bluffmaster ?

IMO, every state probably has CWD. It don't kill every deer, it doesn't even effect every deer. If it did, CO would be out of deer and elk, wouldn't it ?

Stealthycat,

The only data I can give you on CWD #s in WI is from the recent eradication of one farmers herd. 118 deer were killed and 4 tested positive. This farmer had two additional deer out of 6 test positive prior to having the entire herd killed.

Jack- I fully respect your qualified opinion. But at the same time, to me that means being presumed guilty before proven innocent.

I have little to no interest myself about what economics take place inside the pens and I am as concerned as anyone about Public Health issues. But having said that, "I certainly do have an interest on what goes on outside the confinements and/or any threat that could be posed to people or wild or domestic animals. Thus, I suggest an important application of regulation to insure that CWD stays confined in the pens as well. If regulation can't be effective, then I would support closing the pens completely.

100 reported cases of CWD since 1981 found collectively in three species of big game would average around 21 cases per year since that time. I would suspect that there are around 30 million whitetails living in this county alone. For me to die from receiving CWD from a diseased deer would be the equivalent of getting hit between the eyes by an asteroid, all elements considered! Well,... lets say it isn't quite time to panic over a disease of epidemic proportions. Spraying a shot of natural urine in the air would be about the same risk.

I don't have a problem with awareness and being careful. I handle deer everyday of my life for about 10 weeks of every season and take every logical/reasonable precautions. But if we frighten hunters away from the sport for no reason, hunters and wildlife still lose.

Go Hunting, be careful.

John Tice

Jack- Oooops, sorry about my math...I didn't complete the calculation while I was typing.:)

100 cases in a period of 21 years would equal 4.7 cases per year for that time period 1981-2002.

i believe (but can't provide the source since my computer dumped)that your "since 1981..."refers to a specific area, and not total CWD (including all known infected areas)as the number of elk alone that have been destroyed exceeds that number...

there is no link between CWD and human vCJD because there is and has been no organized collection of data. vCJD is not a reportable disease (at present)to the CDC and the only way to make a certain diagnosis is by specialized staining of brain tissue. as i have said before, autopsies at death are rarely done due to cost....insurance usually will not pay, hospitals can't absorb the cost and patients families rarely will request and pay. It is known that there has been an increase in brain related diseases...alzehimers, early onset alzehimers, MS, and even CJD. The diagnosis is based on the symptomology presented to the medical staff involved. There is a wide range of overlapping symptoms and the "expertise" of the diagnostician varies with training, education and experience.

What we do know about prion disease and the species barrier comes from the experience in Great Britian. There a link has been established between BSE infected beef in the food chain and an increase in vCJD with brain tissue studies. The abnormal prions did cross the specie barrier. There is evidence that this may be due to dietary considerations...the british eat parts of the cattle that is not routinely part of the American diet. Whatever, the prions did cross specie barrier and cause human death.

Will this happen with CWD? We don't know at present, but even the public spokesmen about this here have modified their "tune" over the past couple of years. Where spokesmen from the DNRs once said that there "is no danger", the message modified to there "may be no danger" to the present "use caution and avoid brain and neural tissue"....

There is no test available now to determine whether or not a urine based product contains CWD prions. But knowing that these products could infect (permanently)an area that had been CWD free, why risk it? Evidence shows that once an area is infected, it will remain infective in spite of heroic attempts to remove contamination. Remember: the purpose of a lure is to get the deer to sniff it ;o) If advertising is true, the artifical lures work just as well and don't present the potential risk.

(Aside: the forest fires of the past couple of years may benefit the wildlife population because temps could approach levels that destroy prions (and other diseases).

Nobody should panic about this disease...what we as hunters need to do is become "experts" on the science and call to task those who would sensationalize this issue. Most of the people who write these articles seen in the popular media have no real knowledge about what they write about...they rewrite what they are told or given in a handout. You can see that in the repition of the same phraseology and "facts" between different authors.

When one reads an article, one should look closely at the source, the motives and politics of the author. A good example is some of the CWD literature that contains some good resources is polished, published and promotes vegan ideology. To read some of these writings, one almost wants to panic. But going beyond the politics, there is actual data that should be considered and evaluated. One of the biggest problems with media these days is that they do not know how to separate a story from an editorial viewpoint....but that is a whole 'nuther bag of worms.

The best thing to preserve hunting is to get involved with kids and invest your time with them....they will provide our future divideds.

jackv

Here's something interesting for those who blame game farms....marty

The Department Of Wildlife in Colorado (DOW) has admitted to mistakes surrounding their responsibility for spreading CWD. Most egregious is that DOW knew of their wrongdoing and has attempted to lay blame on the elk production industry. There are extremists that claim producers cannot be trusted with privately owned cervidae and that deer are the exclusive "bag" of wildlife agencies. It appars it is the wildlfie agency that cannot be trusted. Elk and deer producers know how to raise these animals properly and have demonstrated that fact. The wildlife agency has proven themselves otherwise.

The links to the article are below the article heading.

CWD--Deer group says state spread CWD

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/dr...1676893,00.html

CWD-Officials admit they spread CWD in Western Slope

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/dr...1122087,00.html

CWD-Officials admit government made mistake

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0...l?search=filter

I would like to know the source for only 100 animals found with CWD since 81.

I think that is in error. Why because it is my understanding that there is an infection level of 18% for the mule deer around the the Fort Collins area. If hunters take 500 mule deer a season there, then about 90 should test positive. Can anyone quote the DNR numbers that test positive in this area last year.

I made this anology once before. You have 4 things in front of you. Each has chocolate, caramel and nuts, and all 4 are shaped like bars. They all taste very similar and have similar ingredients. 3 you know are candy bars, but its unknown what the 4th is really.

Would it be safe to say that the 4th is a candy bar too ? Its got all the same stuff, all the same things ... its a candy bar.

CWD is very much like that. Its the same thing as scrapy in sheep and made cow in bovines. Its also the same thing as CJD and nvCJD, isn't it ? Is anyone, seriously, naive enough to think its NOT a threat (even in a minor way) to humans ? C'MON !

MAT,

I would like to correct a common misconception about the Nebraska "captive" herd that you reference quite often.

This farm was fenced in in 1991. It is only 30 miles from the endimic area in WY where there is a 15.3% rate in the wild deer population. When the fence was completed there were quite a few wild deer that were enclosed as well. No deer was EVER brought into this farm. Any deer that was on this farm was either born there or there when it was originally fenced in.

The farmer did bring in elk to the enclosure to be shot. I believe that he only had bulls, and no cows. Only dead animals, that were shot by hunters, left this enclosure. Both deer and elk shot on this farm tested positive for CWD. I do not have the infection percentage of the elk on the farm, but it was much less than the 50% rate of the whitetails. All elk were traced back to there original farms and none came from farms with CWD. Not one!

CWD was present in the wild deer that were enclosed in 1991. Again, this is only 30 miles from the endemic area in WY. CWD had been in WY for many years. These deer spread it to the elk that were brought in. Here is another case of misinfomation showing game farms spreading the disease to a new area. Are any of these facts ever offered in any of the articles about CWD on captive farms. Hell no, it wouldn't sell as many copies. Anti-game farm people love to use the NE farm as an example, but they never tell you that CWD originated in the wild deer that were enclosed.

I will say this though, that the enclosure could have contributed to the high infection percentage, but CWD in the pen was not brought in, it was always there.

Before you jump all over me for the usual "this is just the deer farm industry trying to ingnore CWD, or not take the blame....", I am correcting blatant misinformation. And that is the rest of the story, that never gets told.

As for the CO DOW admitting their errors, they only admitted it 13 years after the fact. The whole time blaming game farms for spreading it to the western slope.

I do agree though that we must monitor our captive herd, and test all animals that die. Most farmers feel the same way. In order for the industry to survive, we need to eliminate CWD in our captive herds, which can be done. Any farm that has CWD needs to be depopulated as soon as possible.

most game farmers supplemental feed their deer to increase antler growth....the supplemental feed under past and present regulations can be the source of the CWD since the only prohibitions concerning the source of animal protien are in cattle and sheep.

CWD (no matter the orgin) HAS been transmitted between farms by the game ranches when they trade breeding stock and sell their animals. That is how it spread to Saskatehewan and other area removed from the inital infection areas.

JAW

JAW,

I don't deny the fact that CWD has been transferred from one farm to another. That is why I total agree with the regulations we now face. It has to be eliminated in captive animals. I am all for manditory testing of all animals that die. Sure there is a cost involved, but it a price we need to pay.

In my earlier post, I didn't mean to imply that captive farms can't spread CWD. I just simply wanted to correct an incorrect statement. When people hear of 50% infection rate in a captive herd, it is appauling and leads them to believe that CWD is rampant in all deer farms. It isn't the case. Yes, there are farms with CWD, but most are CWD free. This NE example is used time and again against the deer farm industry, but the real facts are never presented in the story. It is never told that the CWD originated from the wild deer that were trapped inside.

CWD was first observed and described in a captive herd of deer used for research that were kept in an area that had previously been used for scrapie research in sheep. Implications are that the abnormal prions crossed specie barrier due to contamination from the sheep. CWD was introduced to the wild population via that herd.

JAW

Good Post Marty and Ridgeruler- I love it when facts and common sense post shine over the obviously mis-informed and biased "opinion" of people like Mat and Stealthycat. They only speak about hearsay and their own beliefs, NOTHING proven. It is important to only deal with facts when talking about something such as this. The extremist in the Gamefarm industry and people like Mat and Stealthycat need to step aside and let the "experts" come to a conclusion. I am confident that my best interest will prevail. I do not have to spread lies to try and persuade peoples opinions that really do not matter.

As long as the conclusions made are in the best interest of wildlife I will support it. If not I will fight it.

Bluffmaser - Oh give me a break. What hasn't made sense to what I have said ? C'mon, really. The info posted was on wild deer - wheres the info on game farming ? That was my question and it was valid. My other post was on how CWD is very related to other diseases that affect humans. To not think its a threat is naive, just serve a plate full of meat, or brain and bone marrow up from a CWD deer and see who'll eat it or serve it to their kids.

You think you're an expert ... why is that ? Does it occur to you that others outside of your "game farm/canned hunting" world might also do a lot of reading and research on the subject ? Isn't it odd that sometimes those so very close to the issue has the cloudiest judgment and blinders on to whats really happening ? Don't belittle the opinions of others just because we're outside your little cirlce, its posts like yours that make people hate game farming even more.

I have a friend who is involved in a project that tags deer with radio collars and tracks them. Within 6 months three does, out of about 35 tagged, moved more than 15 miles. Some stayed within a very small area. End of story, they can and do move more than 2 miles during their life. One of the does crossed several high traffic roads, a freeway and a river.I have no idea why some moved and some didn't.

JackV- For others that haven't bothered to read Pat's link before debating CWD in this thread.

The informational epistle was written by Dr. Stephen Leffler who said, "FACT." Since 1981 only about 100 cases of CWD have been found in wild Mule Deer, Whitetailed Deer and Elk." This is written in the same paragraph that says, "FACT- There are no reported cases of CWD in humans. FACT-There is no evidence that CWD can be spread from one species to another. FACT-5% of Lamier County CO mule deer have tested positive for CWD. FACT- CWD and Mad Cow Disease are classified with the same virus family, but they are not the same disease.

"Facts" are all that I have been asking for when condisering solutions to CWD. So are these writings "Facts?" I see one contradiction. "Fact- 5% of Lamier County CO Mule deer have tested positive for CWD?"

How many different ways are there to interpret the facts? If there are very many, then we are not talking about facts at all, its just another opinion then.

Although CWD has been a "known entity" for over 20 years, concern and publicity was minor due to the fact that incidence was low and relatively confined.

In the past few years several events have occured that has caused change in focus and perception of the disease.

First, the BSE/mad cow epidemic in Great Britian where cattle were dying due to this prion disease and evidence arose to indicate that it could and did cross the specie barrier and affect human health. Studies showed that the previously accepted practice of rendering downer cattle and sheep into animal protien feed supplements had alot to do with the spread of BSE thruout Europe (and the rest of the world). This practice, in effect, concentrated the abnormal prions since infected animals were source of the protien supplement.

Resulting discoveries about the nature of BSE and related prion diseases showed the nature of the problem....the prions were not destroyed by usual sterilization and decontamination proceedures, could be passed by surgical instruments used in neural surgery, transfusion of blood products, injection of vaccines, etc.

The second big event occured when the spread of CWD crossed the Mississippi River and was found in Wisconsin (although it had been seen spread prior to that via infected ranch raised animals to Saskatchewan and Alberta). This "crossing the river" to areas where the wild population densities are much greater caused concern among wildlife managment, and was amplified greatly by the media...who for the most part are rather stoopid when it comes to science and mathmatics.

With a lack of data concerning the relationship to human health (for reasons I have amplified elsewhere), and the hysterics of many with public voice, a great public concern has been created. Extrapolation of what has been discovered concerning BSE and other prion diseases to CWD lends itself to a rational approach to dealing with the situation.

There is no data yet to show that CWD is a natural occuring disease in the wild deer population. CWD was first seen in captive animals that were exposed to scrapie via land that had been populated by scrapie positive sheep...and probably those animals lead to the initial infection of wild game as no precautions were made to prevent contact before the nature of the new disease was determined.

One thing that has not been discussed much on all the threads is the management practices of those involved in cervid farming. We all read the ads in the hunting mags about what we can do to increase the racks of the deer where we hunt by providing food plots, nutritional supplements, food additives, etc. Knowing that those involved in ranching are not doing this for alturistic reasons, one must assume that they provide the best nutrition to their animals as they can. Heck, when we show our horses and work them alot, we supplement their feed because it helps them work and look better. How much do they and what types of feed supplements are they using. What is the source of their feeds protien augmentation?

You cannot blame the cervid farmer if they introduce CWD into their herds via this manner as this is what has become "accepted practice"....but BSE has shown it to be a very dangerous practice.

Whatever one's feelings about game ranches is, we cannot blindly blame the farmer. But as the data shows, the previous "accepted practices" surely now must be modified. To protect us all, those things that we do know that will limit the spread of this disease become "common sense" and should be considered when it comes to establishing what is "accepted practice".

Fear of eating venison or elk meat due to CWD hurts us all. When a resturant that had wild game on its menue either fails or withdraws those meals, we hunters loose because the non-hunting public looses its chance to sample meals we love.

It is time to let common sense rule when it comes to dealing with both wild and captive game populations. Where a risk is identified, it should be eliminated or quarrentined. I've spoke on some of them, and I would rather be safe than sorry.

Remember: strict rules and regulations now can be eased and eliminated in the future as more is learned. But once Pandora's Box is opened, there is no way to get it's contents back.

jack

Good Post Jack- I can always appreciate and see a point of view based on rational thought, Even if I do not totally agree. As mentioned before, I am for whatever protects wildlife as we know it. And I WILL destroy my captive herd if they become a threat. I will also protect "wildlife" and the things that go with it from other threats. Whether it be Anti's or attention seekers that like to stir sh-t.

I do not buy into "similarity" theories in order to get people in an uproar. More people will choke to death on a candy bar this year than will die from CWD in a thousand years. No I can not personally prove that but that is what all the experts say including the Health and Drug Administration. I tend to belive them more so than someone who lines up candy bars and makes a guess.

rodney

there is a big difference between "similarity" as you imply and "similarity" in related instances. BSE, scrapie, mink encelopathy, vCJD and CWD fall into the same class of disease based upon certain facts that are "similar" between them: the pathology demonstrated in the brain, the causal factor of abnormal prions, etc. Thus it is more than reasonable to make assumptions about one disease based upon data from another.

jack

BTW: i just got hold of the product insert on one of the ELISA tests being used to test for CWD. Will report on it after I get a chance to study it.

"Similar" should be used for study purposes as well as using caution because things are similar. However, to use Similar as scientific reporting is not trustworthy. People are similar to chimps, water is similar to alcohol, rockets are similar to planes. They are similar but very much different. You can not take aspects of each and conclude that the other will posses the same contents. If we were to use similar as a basis we could disregard this whole CWD thing because similar things kill wildlife and it is accepted.

Time will tell. Then we can look back and gloat or swallow our pride. Ultimately I think every single person on here wants the same result. That a cure and/or prevention will be found and life will go on.

MAT,

What part of "I don't deny the fact that CWD has been transferred from one farm to another. That is why I total agree with the regulations we now face" or "In my earlier post, I didn't mean to imply that captive farms can't spread CWD. I just simply wanted to correct an incorrect statement" didn't you get.

I will say it again, there are farms with CWD and it needs to be eliminated in all captive animals.

Maybe I am just paranoid, but in almost every article that bashes deer farms, they mention this NE farm. Nothing is ever mentioned that CWD was in the wild deer before they were enclosed, or that no live animals ever left this preserve. Sorry if you thought I was twisting your words. I guess I got the wrong impression of what you were saying.

I really can't say why there was resistance to manditory testing in the past. I wasn't involved in any of the lobbying done in the past. I think both farmers and the state overlooked the threat of CWD. Yes, there were a couple individuals that brought the issue up, but if the state would have thought it was a serious threat, they would have required manditory monitoring. I guess hindsight is 20/20. I think a contributing factor is the makeup of the deer industry. Probably 90% of the farms in the state are small operations that never buy or sell out of state. Additionally, it is very rare to bring deer in from out of state. WI has the best deer in the country. Everybody wants them, well at least they did before this year. Surrounding states didn't have the genetics that we had, so it was very rare to buy deer from out of state. The elk industry is different. Many animals did come to WI from out of state.

Jack - Most excellent post and logical opinion.

In Montana,two years ago Game Farms were band by the voters.The game farmers where irrate and wanted compensation for their lost revenue.The game farmers should be footing the bill for all of the money the government agency's have spent and will continue to spend erradicating CWD.All Sportsmen need to stand together and eliminate all game farms in the USA.The entire population of big game animals in north america are at risk.Wild animals were never ment to be pinned and it seems to me, we the people are allowing game farmers to contaminate the entire population of big game in america with CWD for the sake of profit for a few.We need to stop the conamination at its source.VOTE GAME FARMS OUT!

Wapiti- Your suggestion only lacks one thing ! VALIDITY ! Why don't you catch up and read why and where this started. By the way, Sportsman are the reason gamefarms exist. Gamefarms have and will continue to PRESERVE wildlife and big game. The only thing you said that makes sense is that we need to stop the contamination at the source. That is what we all want. But the contamination most certainly is not on Game Farms. With the majority of CWD in the wild I am glad you are a man or merely words without power or you would have all the Big Game in North America slaughtered like they are doing in Wisconsin.

Do some research and come back and talk about reality.

Ok the mad cow diease in England was started by feeding cows meat scraps. Where did the prions in the meat scraps come from?

MEB: one of the first known prion diseases (although not known at THAT time to be caused by prions)is the sheep disease called scrapie which got its name from the manner that infected sheep scraped themselves against fences as the disease developed. it has been recognized as a disease for over a hundred years, although not until recent times the exact nature of it.

the "meat scraps" as you refer to actually are rendered animal and animal offal. The current view is that offal from scrapie infected sheep was the original source for the prion that caused BSE. Further rendering of "downer" cattle (some of which had BSE)into protien supplements helped concentrate abnormal prions which were fed to cattle in not only Great Britian, but Europe and elsewhere. Validation of this can be seen with the developement of BSE in Japan where most of the relatively small numbers of cattle are fed such supplements (Japan does not have much pasture land, so cattle are reared much differently than other countries.) BSE in Japan has been directly tied to feed supplements.

When scientists became aware of this connection and regulations concerning this source of supplemental feed, an effort was made to track shipments of possibly contaminated feed (cargo ships full of tonnes of the stuff)....while most was accounted for, several cargo ships of this type of feed were not.

Bluff...how prevelant was/is the feeding of supplemental protien in the cervid farming industry?

jack

Jack, I will answer the protein feeding question. I think most farmers try to feed a high protein diet. I know that we us a Purina deer pellet. Protein content is less in the fall and winter, and in early spring, the protein level is increased.

I don't know for a fact, but would assume that Purina would comply with the cattle rules for rendered animal protein.

bluffmaster,what percentage of animals infected with CWD are around or near game farms?Most game farms are for profit not for preservation of wild animals.TRUE SPORTSMEN don,t murder pinned animals,it,s not HUNTING it,s just killing.And yes I don,t know alot about how CWD is spread but much of what I have read indicates that the infection has been found mostly in or near game farms.To make the statement that the contamination is not on game farms (as you stated above)is not correct and misleeding.Montana killed 700 elk last year off of one farm and over two thousand elk were killed on another farm in canada.The government must have more information than the public.The government does not just pull up at a game farm and require the farmers to kill their entire herd without just cause.You bent my feelers claiming that I want all big game animals killed to stop the spread.That is not correct,and you don,t know me so don,t pass judjments on that issue.If the concentrations of CWD are found aroud game farms,and we come to find out that these farms practicies have been the cause of the spread,shouldn,t the public hold the game farmers financial liable for all costs?If CWD continues to spread,meat hunting as we no it will end.The only ones that won,t be affected are the head hunters shooting pinned animals.It is better to be responsible stewards of the wildlife we all own than to be careless and end hunting for all of us except the game farm shooters. Bluffmaster,are you a game farmer?Do you hunt for meat or horns?And how come CWD popped up shortly after game farming got popular?And when CWD rears its head in your state,where are you going to hunt?Doing everything to stop CWD to me would include stopping game farm practices until it can be proven that those practices are not a factor.

wish one of you cervid farmers would scan a feed label and post it....

the federal rules concerning rendered animal protien at present prohibit that source only to sheep and cattle....

i don't believe (but i could be wrong and will have to do some checking)there is any regulation as to the source of protien allowable to those involved in cervid farming (yet)nor would such products be labled with anything but some small print that it was not to be fed to cattle.

this comes down to economics...with tight budgets and the threat of CWD hanging over the heads of those involved in cervid farming, without specific prohibition I doubt if most would consider using a higer priced feed over a lower cost feed as long as the supplementation was provided.

it would be of great interest if some of you involved in this industry could provide this information. just what does your label say (or not say)?

jack

ps reading and writing a summary of the tonsil test from the insert right now...pretty interesting, especially reading "between" the lines. will post later

the following contains information from the product insert of the test used to screen for the presence of CWD in cervids using tonsular tissue. It is a qualitative test, meaning that it can detect the presence of the prion involved with CWD. If the level of prion is below the limits of the test, CWD is not detected. Therefore this test will only tell if a deer has the CWD prion, not that it is uninfected.

I have tried to note my comments/personal observations in parenthasis.

jack

Notes on the CWD antigen test kit:

For in vitro qualitative determination of CWD antigen (PrPres) in Mule Deer/White-Tailed Deer/Elk Retropharyngeal Lymph Nodes via an ELISA test.

General Information:

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a slow degenerative disease of the central nervous system of deer and elk induced by a particular strain of unconventional transmissible agent (TSE agent) or prion.

The diagnosis of confirmation is based on demonstration of characteristic lesions of the central nervous system detected by post mortem histopathological examination (neuronal vacuolization and neuronal loss, astrocyte proliferation, spongiosis, and identification of the abnormal PrPres protein after treatment with proteases.

There have been increasing data demonstrating the accumulation of prions in the retropharyngeal lymph nodes of mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk.

(note: confirmed diagnosis still by post mortem examination. Jack)

In the assay, the purified PrPres are isolated from tonsular tissue according to a protocol described in the test kit brochure. In the description of the methodology, scalpels and weigh boats are to be discarded into appropriate biohazard waste containers….they are not cleaned and reused to avoid contamination between samples tested. (prions are not easily destroyed by routine sterilization).

Detection of qualitative determination of PrPres is an immunoenzymatic technique (in sandwich format) using 2 monoclonal antibodies for the detection of the abnormal prion protein, which is resistant to protinase K in deer and elk tissues. The assay can only be performed on samples of purified PrPres obtained from retropharyngeal lymph nodes prepared with the reagents and under the conditions of use of the purification kit.

Interpretation of the results:

Samples with results just below the cut -off value must be interpreted cautiously, and the corresponding samples should be retested. Samples greater or equal to the cut-off value are considered to be initially reactive and should be retested in duplicate before final interpretation.

After repeating the test, the sample is considered to be positive when at least one of the two measurements is positive (greater or equal to the cut-off value). The sample is considered to be negative when these values are less than the cut-off value.

Samples retested in duplicate and found to be negative, but for which one of the two values is close to the cut-off value (10-20% below the cut-off value) must be interpreted cautiously.

(Note: when the initial results are positive, they must be reconfirmed by retesting in duplicate. This is an indication of how hard it is to determine if an animal is positive with this test…a first generation test. However, as a qualitative test, the absence of PrPres only means that no prions were discernable at the time of the test. Jack)

Limits of the test:

A negative result means that the test sample does not contain any PrPres detectable by the detection kit. However, as very low levels of PrPres may not be detected, such a negative result does not exclude the possibility of infection.

In order to verify the specificity of the reaction, any sample with a reproducibly positive result according to the test interpretation criteria must be confirmed by a control test on another homogenate.

False positive reactions can be obtained on insufficiently ground homogenates or homogenates prepared from poorly preserved or dehydrated tissues.

Hygiene and safety instructions (some listed)

All materials directly in contact with the samples and wash solutions must be considered contaminated.

All operations involved in chronic wasting disease screening tests are subject to regulations and must be performed in an isolated limited and controlled access laboratory devoted exclusively to this activity. A laboratory coat, overshoes, gloves and mask with visor or simple mask with safety glasses are required to insure operator’s safety.

Operators must receive specific training concerning the risks related to TSE agents or prions, responsible for subacute transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), and the validated modes of decontamination for unconventional agents. Biosafety measures must be in agreement with recommendations of regulatory authorities of the country.

Glossary:

Retropharyngeal lymph node: tonsil

Wapiti- I do not blame you personally for being mis-informed concerning CWD and it existence. Colorado first started by trying to blame the gamefarmig industry, Now they are submitting public apologies for covering this whole ordeal up. Just because an article says the deer were confined does not mean it is a game farm. As the facts prove the areas most notible for CWD had nothing to do with Gamefarmers or Gamefarmed animals.

Yes gamefarming could be a real problem in the spread of disease. I have too much to lose to do anything that would jeopardize wildlife in general. The wild outdoors is my first concern (Since I do Not hunt high fence) and Gamefarming is my second concern.(since I have a gamefarm). With so much invested and so much to lose I investigate every "theory" concerning CWD. The gamefarming industry has stopped movement of animals while more studies have been performed. By percentage we test far more animals than the wild population. For Expample- If 7% of gamefarm animals have been tested and less than 1% of wild animals have been tested tell me why the problem is STILL primairly an issue in the Wild population. Yes game farming should be and is closely monitored and controlled. Besides the restrictions and monitoring done by State and Government agencies we are self policing our industry to ensure nothing occurs to endanger wildlife.

There are some major "break throughs" about to come to surface that will further prove that gamefarms are not the cause of this whole issue. I will post it when the time is right.

By the way, If my farm was the lead to a CWD outbreak I would expect to be held liable for damages that I caused to the public. However if the Wild population affects my herd I expect to be compensated. Your statement about CWD being found around gamefarms, How do you propose CWD is in two STATES that have never allowed gamefarms.

Your thoughts and ideas are very extremist and unfounded. We have people like that in the gamefarming industry as well. They would say or do anything for their own personal agenda. Thankfully the numbers of extremist on both sides are very few.

Keep reading and you will find the common ground that 95% of all other hunters and gamefarmers have found. Let the facts speak for themselves. I am ready to expand my farm or shut it down. Whichever best suits all involved.

Penned mule deer and elk feed animal protien, or keep over ground with sheep scrappie is the most likely source of CWD in our wild cervid population. Fact!

Current information does not support CWD being a natural occuring desease in our wild cervid populations. Fact!

Infected animals can infect the soil. Fact!

Illegal transport of game animals happens across the US. Fact!

You don't want to eat infected animals. IMO!

Game farms have been responsible for the spread of CWD to some areas. Fact!

Game farm owners have a vested interest, and should not be relied on to be unbias. IMO!

TSE type deseases are always fatal as far as now known. Fact!

State Game Departments are now addressing this issue with much concern. Fact!

Jack, are you aware of this study. I haven't heard any more about it since I read about it in 2001, and posted about it on this thread.

A potential cure is being studied for Mad Cow, CWD, CJD, Alzheimers, and Lou Gehreg's disease which may share a similar underlying cause. They seem to smother nerve cells with agglomerations of protiens that neither drugs nor the immune system can break down. Biochemist Yair Argon of the university of Chicago has found a protien they calla chaperone that seems to prevent the protien build up. He hopes to soon begin trials with mice. The source I read is in the June 2001 issue of Discover magizine.

I hope the study has promise.

I am surpised to find that downer cattle and sheep can be used in feed for other animals. That regulation needs to be changed.

Thanks for your knowlegable and factual information.

Jack- Does anyone one know how this CWD thing really started in the begining?

Chronic wasting disease was first described in a captive herd of deer that were kept in a penned area where scrapie positive sheep had been used for research previously. The deer developed symptoms that were described in the name of the disease.

CWD had never been observed in wild deer, which lends evidence that there was a specie cross-over of abnormal prions in these particular deer. Could there be natural occuring CWD? With the widespread testing going on now, one would assume that cases of CWD would be identified in all areas where wild cervids exist and not just in areas identified as having CWD. To date, this has not been observed...no deer outside known wild areas have been found with positive CWD tests.

jack

Doug...can you provide greater detail about the study you are referring to? I am looking, but more data would help.

Jack I saw a brief account of this research in the June 2001 Discover mag. All it listed was the name of the reseacher and the University were the work was being done with the name of the compound they were going to test. I haven't seen or heard anything else on this, and thought you might know something. Sorry I am of so little help. I mention it because I thought it might be of interest to you, and your wife.

Be sure to note that that was an experiment enclosure. It had nothing to do with gamefarming.

FYI:

http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/index.php/fuseaction/news.detail/ID/422d64b1c326ded5f40a9651382796cb Alberta : Should Elk Farming Be Put to Pasture?

Date: January 24, 2003 Source: The Edmonton Journal

Contacts: The Edmonton Journal Editorial http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal

After a troubled decade, it's time Ottawa and the provinces undertook a serious review of the game farming industry.

More than 600 farmers in Alberta and more than 500 in Saskatchewan have put up tall wire fences and run domesticated elk and white-tailed deer in an effort to diversify their farms.

But the industry's economics, dubious from the outset, have proven highly volatile. The value of breeding stock has plummeted from the early days. Elk farmers are still shut out of traditional elk-velvet aphrodisiac markets in the Far East because of lingering worries about disease. And so far, no big market for elk meat is materializing.

Raising elk in captivity has introduced new disease -- chronic-wasting disease -- to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Conservationists warned of this danger in the 1980s, and there are signs it may have been passed on to wild animals, with a potential major threat to wildlife.

Last week, there was another troubling development.

Four Saskatchewan farms, the main source of the CWD outbreak, are so contaminated that some agriculture uses of some of the land are prohibited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. That's put a handful of farmers in a terrible bind, looking for more compensation or some way to start a new business on partly quarantined land.

It costs a lot of tax dollars to support this marginal industry. In the early 1990s, taxpayers spent $25 million in compensation fees alone to farmers for animals slaughtered to control a tuberculosis outbreak that destroyed about half the fledgling Alberta herd.

So far, the fight against CWD in elk has cost $33 million to compensate farmers, mainly in Saskatchewan. (CWD is in the same disease family as "mad cow disease," though there's no evidence so far that it can be transmitted to humans.)

The industry has been based on a lot of hope and "limited science," as government officials call it. But that simply opens the door to potential environmental problems. Since the CWD organism is very difficult to eradicate, it's not known what it would take to clean infected land on Saskatchewan farms. Do we really want to see land restrictions as a long-term solution?

The four Saskatchewan farmers are barred from raising cattle on parts of their land.

While there is yet no evidence that CWD spreads to cattle, the CFIA is absolutely right to use the utmost caution. Transfer of the disease to cattle would be a major disaster for the cattle industry.

CFIA also told the four farmers they could grow hay as long as they do not feed it to deer or elk. They can grow grain, but not sell it to the local elevator. They must keep their high fences up to prevent wild deer and elk from wandering onto the contaminated land.

It all seems very complicated, and a bit like farming with one hand tied behind your back. It hardly gives confidence in the ability to control this disease.

Here in Alberta, CWD has been found on only one elk farm (compared to 40 in Saskatchewan). But Alberta was the first place in Canada to see the disease turn up on a white-tailed deer farm. The entire herd has not been tested, so it is unclear how widespread the disease is.

George Luterbacher, veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Winnipeg, is optimistic the disease can be controlled. With only a handful of CWD outbreaks last year compared to last, he says, disease control measures are working, though he adds there is a two to three-year incubation period.

Alberta's chief veterinarian, Gerald Ollis, says there is little risk of the disease being passed on to cattle, although he admits there are many unknowns when it comes to CWD.

Last fall, elk farmers pinned their hopes for revival on hunt farms to create a market for their animals. Due to disease concerns, Alberta farmers are banned from selling into U.S. and Saskatchewan hunt farms. Wisely, the Alberta government refused to approve game farms, which are out of step with Alberta attitudes to wildlife and hunting.

With little market for meat, the velvet market still elusive, and no hunt farms, it's time to ask whether this is an industry with a viable economic future.

Global trends in agriculture put consumer and food safety at the heart of public policy. Canada's future depends on its reputation for high-quality, disease-free product. Game farming so far appears to run against that.

Some jurisdictions refused to get into game farming. The Yukon rejected the industry after doing an economic analysis. Wyoming turned it down because of the threat to the wildlife, to hunting, and to game-viewing activities. In 2000, Montana banned game ranching.

Commercializing wildlife has many problems. Trying to devise environmental and farm-safety practices on the basis of limited science about disease is unsound. It's unlikely this industry is worth the very real risks. At the very least, a public review is in order.

© Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance

Jack B,Liked what you had to say.Alot of people are against shooting the deer in Wisconsin to get rid of CWD.There is an easy solution!Take the wolves from Montana,Wyoming and Idaho and introduce them in the infected areas under federal protection.This would be the fastest way for DNR to erradicate CWD from the big game populations.Or I mean Erradicate big game from CWD.If there are no animals to get infected,CWD won't spread.It worked in Yellowstone Park!Just a thought.