An item published in Tuesday's Rochester Post Bulletin caught my eye. Randy Petersen reported in State and federal agencies eye Rochester reservoirs in fight against chronic wasting disease:
ROCHESTER — A state request to cull deer on northwest Rochester city land is expected to be granted in the state and federal battle against chronic wasting disease.
“Unfortunately with this disease, what will happen is a spread of it,” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Big Game Program Specialist Paul Burr told the Rochester Park Board on Tuesday.
Chronic wasting disease, commonly known as CWD, is a contagious and slowly progressive brain disease found in deer, which can have a 1.5- to 3-year incubation period, meaning it can spread in that time.
The disease is not known to spread to humans or cattle, but Burr said controlling it is important for the overall health of wild deer.
During the 2023 hunting season, 2,810 deer tested in southeast Minnesota, based on DNR requirements. Of those, 39 positive results were found
While the majority of local positive results were found near Winona and Preston, Burr said three infected deer have been found in Rochester since 2020.
The most recent was a sick deer reported on the edge of northwest Rochester in March last year, spurring interest in culling deer in the region to prevent potential spread.
The Minnesota DNR staff don’t cull the deer, but they do coordinate efforts for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services.
Through the process, property owners are contacted for permission, and one of those owners is the Rochester Park and Recreation Department, which manages reservoirs in the area.
“We can only cull in areas where we have permission,” Burr told the Park Board.
City staff work to provide permission near the reservoirs, as well as city land near a private brush dump on 50th Avenue Northwest.
When permission is granted, he said USDA Wildlife Services typically cull at night, using suppressed firearms to avoid noise.
“Most of the residents will have no idea what happened,” Parks and Recreation Director Paul Widman.
Once the deer are harvested, they are tested for CWD. If found to be disease free, they are processed and the meat is expected to be provided to a local food shelf.
“The deer won’t be wasted,” Burr said. . . .
Read the entire article at the Rochester Post Bulletin. Bluestem will keep an eye out on the results for the testing of the culled deer.
Photo: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services are working with Rochester Parks and Recreation staff in an effort to cull deer on city property in northwest Rochester in an effort to fight chronic wasting disease. Contributed/ Post Bulletin.
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