Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Captive Deer Breeding Legislation Overwhelmingly Defeated During 2012 Legislative Session

Captive Deer Breeding Legislation Overwhelmingly Defeated During 2012 Legislative Session


BOGART, Ga. -- Efforts to legalize captive deer breeding in new states or loosen regulations in states where such practices are currently permitted were overwhelmingly defeated during the 2012 legislative session. Of nine bills being tracked by the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), six were unsuccessful, two remain stalled in committee, and only one has become law.


“These are huge wins for wild deer, deer hunters and the North American hunting heritage,” said QDMA CEO Brian Murphy. “This defeat of these harmful bills was a joint effort by numerous hunting and conservation groups and QDMA members.”


Of particular significance, attempts to legalize deer breeding in three new states were unsuccessful, including Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. QDMA extends special thanks to the Wildlife Federations in these states, which played key roles in defeating these bills.


“These wins were particularly important in safeguarding wild deer and the rich hunting traditions in these key southern states,” said QDMA Director of Education and Outreach Kip Adams.


Other legislative victories include those in Indiana which would have legalized “hunting preserves” for farm-bred and released deer; Missouri which would have reclassified captive whitetails from wildlife to “livestock”; and West Virginia where authority over deer farms would have been transferred from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture.


In New Jersey and New York, bills aimed at transferring authority over captive deer breeding facilities from these state’s wildlife agencies to their departments of agriculture are still alive, though not progressing. Both legislatures are still in session.


Of the legislation QDMA was tracking, only one has become law thus far. Previously in Ohio, authority over deer breeders was shared between Ohio DNR and the Department of Agriculture. A bill to transfer more authority to Agriculture passed the legislature and was signed into law by the governor of Ohio. Unfortunately, this law greatly weakens the Ohio DNR’s ability to protect the state’s wild deer from potential escapes and disease introduction.


All of these bills were part of a concerted effort by captive deer breeders to expand their industry. QDMA views captive deer breeding and shooting of such animals as potential threats to wild whitetails and North America’s deer-hunting heritage. In February, the organization outlined seven major points of concern with this industry, including erosion of the North American Model of wildlife conservation, loss of public support for hunting, and potential spread of disease. QDMA’s complete position statement is available online by clicking here.






“Although wild whitetails and deer hunters won nearly all of the legislative battles this year, we fully expect the deer breeding industry to continue to push for growth and de-regulation for the foreseeable future,” said Murphy. “Thankfully, a growing number of concerned sportsmen and conservation organizations are recognizing the potential threats created by the growth of this industry and are banding together in support of wild deer and the North American deer-hunting heritage.”







THANK YOU QDMA !!!




*** Chronic Wasting Disease CWD CDC REPORT MARCH 2012 ***



Saturday, February 18, 2012


Occurrence, Transmission, and Zoonotic Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease


CDC Volume 18, Number 3—March 2012



SNIP...



CWD has been identified in free-ranging cervids in 15 US states and 2 Canadian provinces and in ≈ 100 captive herds in 15 states and provinces and in South Korea (Figure 1, panel B).



SNIP...



Long-term effects of CWD on cervid populations and ecosystems remain unclear as the disease continues to spread and prevalence increases. In captive herds, CWD might persist at high levels and lead to complete herd destruction in the absence of human culling. Epidemiologic modeling suggests the disease could have severe effects on free-ranging deer populations, depending on hunting policies and environmental persistence (8,9). CWD has been associated with large decreases in free-ranging mule deer populations in an area of high CWD prevalence (Boulder, Colorado, USA) (5).




PLEASE STUDY THIS MAP, COMPARE FARMED CWD TO WILD CWD...TSS







Saturday, February 18, 2012


Occurrence, Transmission, and Zoonotic Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease


CDC Volume 18, Number 3—March 2012





CWD has been identified in free-ranging cervids in 15 US states and 2 Canadian provinces and in ≈100 captive herds in 15 states and provinces and in South Korea (Figure 1, panel B).









Thursday, February 09, 2012



50 GAME FARMS IN USA INFECTED WITH CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE








For example, one elk in a presumed newly infected herd was more than 15 years old. It is not known when during the course of infection an animal may be infectious. In one study, more than 90% of mule deer residing on a premises for more than 2 years died or were euthanized due to CWD) (Williams and Young 1980). Chronic wasting disease was the primary cause of adult mortality [5 (7 1%) of 7 and 4 (23%) of 23] in two captive elk herds (Miller et al. 1998).







The maximum disease course is not known, but can exceed 25 months in experimentally infected deer and 34 months in elk. Duration is less certain in naturally occurring cases. The youngest animal diagnosed with clinical CWD was 17 months old, suggesting 16 to 17 months may be the minimum natural incubation period. Among deer and elk residing in facilities with a long history of CWD, most natural cases occur in 2- to 7-year-old animals; however, deer have lived more than 7 years in heavily infected facilities without succumbing to CWD, and elk more than 15 years of age have succumbed to CWD.






"Clinical signs include loss of body condition, behavioral changes, excessive drinking and urinating, excessive salivation, and occasionally, incoordination and tremors. Affected animals have varied in age from 17 months to greater than 15 years of age.






Approximately 4,200 fawns, defined as deer under 1 year of age, were sampled from the eradication zone over the last year. The majority of fawns sampled were between the ages of 5 to 9 months, though some were as young as 1 month. Two of the six fawns with CWD detected were 5 to 6 months old. All six of the positive fawns were taken from the core area of the CWD eradication zone where the highest numbers of positive deer have been identified.






> > > Two of the six fawns with CWD detected were 5 to 6 months old. < < <



Chronic Wasting Disease in a Wisconsin White-Tailed Deer Farm


and 15 of 22 fawns aged 6 to 9 months (68.2%) were positive.









specific susceptibility? 194. It is probable, based on age-class specific prevalence data from wild cervids and epidemiological evidence from captive cervids in affected research centres, that both adults and fawns may become infected with CWD (Miller, Wild & Williams, 1998; Miller et al., 2000).


198. In Odocoileus virginianus – white tailed deer, out of 179 white-tailed deer which had become enclosed by an elk farm fence, in Sioux County, northwestern Nebraska, four fawns only eight months old were among the 50% of CWD-positive animals; these fawns were not showing any clinical signs of CWD (Davidson, 2002).






SCWDS BRIEFS


Volume 17 January 2002 Number 4


CWD News from Nebraska and Kansas


Infection with the chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent recently was found in 28 of 58 formerly wild white-tailed deer in a high-fenced enclosure adjacent to a pen containing CWDaffected captive elk in northern Sioux County, Nebraska.


Four of the positive deer were fawns approximately 8 months old, which is unusually young for animals testing positive for CWD.










CWD in adult deer and fawns


A hundred and thirty-three white-tailed deer in the study were killed after CWD was diagnosed in the deer within the fenced area. Paired samples of formalin-fixed tissue for CWD diagnosis and frozen tissue for DNA sequence analysis were collected. Fifty per cent (67/133) of deer were diagnosed with CWD (Table 2) using an immunohistochemical assay for PrPd in formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded brain and lymphoid tissues.


Five of the CWD-positive deer were fawns, less than 1 year of age.


Early CWD (PrPd detected in the tonsil or retropharyngeal node but not brain) was diagnosed in 14 deer (12 adults ranging from 1?5 to more than 5 years of age and two fawns). Late CWD (PrPd detectable in brain as well as lymphoid tissues) was diagnosed in 53 deer (50 adults ranging in age from 1?5 to 7 years of age and three fawns). None of the CWD-positive deer showed clinical signs of the disease (weight loss, hypersalivation, disorientation) or gross changes consistent with CWD (serous atrophy of fat) at necropsy.






Illinois CWD, see where there 2003 sampling showed 2. % of fawns tested had CWD i.e. 1 positive out of 51 samples.


2003


Boone-Winnebago Unit Fawn 51 1 2.0%






2011 FAWN CWD POSITIVE ILLINOIS


1/26/11 WINNEBAGO 344N 2E S36 F FAWN SHARPSHOOTING


2/10/11 OGLE 341N 1E S7 F FAWN SHARPSHOOTING


3/9/11 OGLE 341N 1E S7 M FAWN SHARPSHOOTING






For example, in 2008 a fawn tested positive and in 2010 an infected yearling buck was detected in Smith County






DEER ELK GAME FARM ESCAPE







Saturday, February 04, 2012



Wisconsin 16 age limit on testing dead deer Game Farm CWD Testing Protocol Needs To Be Revised







Tuesday, December 20, 2011


CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD WISCONSIN Almond Deer (Buckhorn Flats) Farm Update DECEMBER 2011


The CWD infection rate was nearly 80%, the highest ever in a North American captive herd.


RECOMMENDATION: That the Board approve the purchase of 80 acres of land for $465,000 for the Statewide Wildlife Habitat Program in Portage County and approve the restrictions on public use of the site.


snip...see full text and much more here ;








2010 WISCONSIN CAPTIVE DEER ESCAPES





> There were 26 reported escape incidents so far this year, this amounted to 20 actual confirmed escape incidents because 3 were previously reported, 2 were confirmed as wild deer, and 1 incident was not confirmed.



Wisconsin Conservation Congress CWD Committee Notes recorded by Secretary- Tony Grabski, Iowa County Delegate From the meeting at Mead Wildlife Area Visitor Center Milladore, WI Saturday, August 7, 2010, 9:30 AM


C. & D. Captive Cervid and Law Enforcement Update (11:10 AM)- Warden Pete Dunn gave the captive cervid farm update. There were 26 reported escape incidents so far this year, this amounted to 20 actual confirmed escape incidents because 3 were previously reported, 2 were confirmed as wild deer, and 1 incident was not confirmed. Approximately 30% of these escapes were caused by gates being left open and the other 70% resulted from bad fencing or fence related issues. The 20 actual confirmed escape incidents amounted to 77 total animals. 50 of the escaped animals were recovered or killed and 27 were not recovered and remain unaccounted for. Last year the CWD Committee passed a resolution to require double gates, but this has not gone into effect yet. Questions were raised by the committee about double fencing requirements? Pete responded that double fencing has not been practical or accepted by the industry. The DNR has the authority to do fence inspections. ?If a fence fails to pass the inspection the fencing certificate can be revoked and the farmer can be issued a citation. This year three citations and one warning have been issued for escapes.







and just for the record, the above 2010 report and statement there from i.e. ;




> Tami Ryan agreed and added that the risk of transmission through water was low because prions bind to soils preferentially.



this needs to be addressed, because risk factor for water from cwd endemic areas is a serious risk factor in my opinion. please see ;


Detection of Protease-Resistant Prion Protein in Water from a CWD-Endemic Area


snip...


These data suggest prolonged persistence and accumulation of prions in the environment that may promote CWD transmission.


snip...


The data presented here demonstrate that sPMCA can detect low levels of PrPCWD in the environment, corroborate previous biological and experimental data suggesting long term persistence of prions in the environment2,3 and imply that PrPCWD accumulation over time may contribute to transmission of CWD in areas where it has been endemic for decades. This work demonstrates the utility of sPMCA to evaluate other environmental water sources for PrPCWD, including smaller bodies of water such as vernal pools and wallows, where large numbers of cervids congregate and into which prions from infected animals may be shed and concentrated to infectious levels.


snip...end...full text at ;

















Wisconsin’s Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan: 2010–2025


(e) Farmed Cervid Escapes. Fencing failures and violations are a major cause of farmed cervid escapes. The state regulates all cervid farm fences; however, currently the DNR only has authority over white-tailed deer farm fencing. In an effort to standardize fencing requirements and recognizing the larger field staff of the DNR and the relative limitations that DATCP has with their ability to conduct on-site inspections, the DNR is seeking the legislative authority over all farmed cervid fencing. It is recognized that despite the currently available additional DNR field staff, this authority will likely involve a significant time commitment from the DNR and may require additional resources. Nonetheless, because the DNR has greater staff resources available for field observations, this authority will be a valuable tool for increasing the security of cervid farms and reducing escapes due to fencing failures.






Wisconsin 2009 5 year plan


Captive Cervid Farms


There is great concern shared among the Department and many conservation groups about the potential risk captive-cervid farms present for the transmission of CWD to wild cervids. Deer farmers also have concerns about transmission of the disease to their farms from wild deer. Although this plan is for managing CWD in free-ranging deer, many questions were raised about the captive-cervid industry during the briefings that were held. The Conservation Congress, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and the Voigt Intertribal Task Force all voiced concerns about the captive-cervid industry. The tribes in particular view captive-cervid operations in the ceded territory as a bigger threat to spreading CWD in the ceded territory than free-ranging deer. Of the 29 people who offered web-based comments on captive-cervid farms, half called for the elimination of game farms in Wisconsin and half called for tighter regulations. Concerns were raised about the number of escapes, the amount of time it has taken to depopulate some CWD-positive deer farms, and the future risk these positive farms pose to free-ranging deer if the fences are removed at these facilities. Currently, the Department of Natural Resources only has authority over the fences of currently populated white-tailed deer farms. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DA TCP) regulates animal health aspects of captive-cervid farms as it does for other animal farming operations.


snip...







Friday, February 03, 2012


Wisconsin Farm-Raised Deer Farms and CWD there from 2012 report Singeltary et al








Thursday, February 09, 2012


Colorado Farm-Raised Deer Farms and CWD there from 2012 report Singeltary et al






Tuesday, February 14, 2012


Oppose Indiana House Bill 1265 game farming cervids






Wednesday, March 21, 2012



MICHIGAN SENATE BILL 27 TURNS OVER GAME FARMS and CWD RISK FACTORS THERE FROM, TO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE $







Friday, March 16, 2012


OHIO TURNS OVER CERVID GAME FARMS (and CWD risk) TO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, GOD HELP THEM H. B. No. 389 As Passed by the Senate 129th General Assembly Regular Session 2011-2012 Am. H. B. No. 389






Wednesday, February 15, 2012


West Virginia Deer Farming Bill backed by deer farmers advances, why ? BE WARNED CWD








Monday, February 13, 2012


Stop White-tailed Deer Farming from Destroying Tennessee's Priceless Wild Deer Herd oppose HB3164







Sunday, January 22, 2012


Chronic Wasting Disease CWD cervids interspecies transmission






Thursday, January 26, 2012


The Risk of Prion Zoonoses


Science 27 January 2012: Vol. 335 no. 6067 pp. 411-413 DOI: 10.1126/science.1218167







Thursday, January 26, 2012


Facilitated Cross-Species Transmission of Prions in Extraneural Tissue


Science 27 January 2012: Vol. 335 no. 6067 pp. 472-475 DOI: 10.1126/science.1215659







Thursday, May 31, 2012


CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD PRION2012 Aerosol, Inhalation transmission, Scrapie, cats, species barrier, burial, and more







Friday, June 01, 2012


TEXAS DEER CZAR TO WISCONSIN ASK TO EXPLAIN COMMENTS











TSS


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