In mid-November, Bluestem posted DNR: Chronic wasting disease suspected in a wild deer in Bemidji area for the first time .
At the time, we lead with:
It's not as if Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) hasn't been found in Beltrami County. On April 7, 2021, the Bemidji Pioneer reported DNR plans surveillance effort after domestic deer in Beltrami County tests positive for CWD.
But that farm was about 20 miles north of Bemidji, Bria Barton reported in February 2022 for the Pioneer in Hines deer farmer fights Board of Animal Health after illegal dumping of CWD-infected deer carcasses.
On Monday, the Minnesota DNR issued a press release, Chronic wasting disease suspected in a wild deer in the Bemidji area for the first time:
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources received preliminary test results indicating the first suspected case of chronic wasting disease in a wild white-tailed deer in the Bemidji area. The adult male was harvested opening weekend of the firearms season about 10 miles south of Bemidji in deer permit area 184.
Given the distance between dumpsite and the new discovery, Bluestem was skeptical that the two might be related.
Just today, though, I came across Stephanie Soucheray's article at CIDRAP News, Minnesota confirms CWD in wild buck, with possible link to illegal dump site:
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed that a wild buck harvested near Bemidji in November had chronic wasting disease (CWD), making the animal the first wild CWD detection in Beltrami County.
The adult male deer was found roughly 40 miles from a farm where CWD was found in deer carcasses illegally dumped in 2021. This is the first CWD detection in wild deer in Beltrami County, which is in north central Minnesota.
'Possible' connection to dump site
Michelle Carstensen, PhD, the wildlife health group leader at the Minnesota DNR, said the new case could be unrelated but explained that adult male deer often travel longer distances when rutting, and the animal may have been infected near the dumping site.
"Given the incubation period of CWD, it's possible," said Carstensen. She explained that since the 2021 incident, 1,800 samples have been collected around the site each year (and will be collected next year) in a 3-year effort to detect any other CWD cases.
CWD, a fatal prion disease, affects cervids like deer, elk, and moose in North America, Canada, Scandinavia, and South Korea. Detections—and surveillance—have increased in recent years, as some experts worry CWD could follow the lead of bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease) and jump from animal to humans if infected tissues are consumed.
Cory Anderson, MPH, is part of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Response, Research, and Policy Program at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. He said the detection in Beltrami County is not surprising.
"Unfortunately, once CWD shows up somewhere and becomes established, it's extremely difficult—if not impossible—to eliminate," he said. "Because of that reality, a lot of emphasis is placed on preventive measures that can help reduce the risk of it spreading to places that have yet to detect the disease. Nonetheless, its footprint continues to grow geographically."
Anderson explained that, in 2000, CWD was documented in 5 US states and 1 Canadian province. By 2010, it was confirmed in 17 states and 2 provinces. It has now been confirmed in at least 30 states and 4 provinces, with Alabama, Idaho, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Manitoba identifying cases of CWD for the first time since 2021.
CIDRAP publishes CIDRAP News.
I apologize for the late update.
Related posts
- DNR: Chronic wasting disease suspected in a wild deer in Bemidji area for the first time
- MN Chronic Wasting Disease dilemma: should new deer farms be blocked? The old bought out?
- Chronic Wasting Disease: St. Louis County permanently bans new or expanded cervid farms .
- Todd Miller's deer farm was depopulated Tuesday,
- On Facebook, operator of CWD doomed Winona County deer farm wears Miller Scrap hat
- MN Board of Animal Health: CWD confirmed in quarantined Winona County captive deer herd
- Update: More on Miller family deer farm interests
- Senate DFL Leader Franzen raises conflict-of-interest concerns in Republican leader's role overturning bipartisan vote to protect wild deer
Photo: A wild whitetail buck in Minnesota.
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