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Thursday, May 01, 2014

Missouri DNR CWD prevention and captive cervid farming Update

Missouri DNR CWD prevention and captive cervid farming

 

CWD is in Missouri

 

Missouri’s first cases of CWD were detected in 2010 and 2011 in captive deer at private hunting preserves in Linn and Macon counties. A total of 11 cases of CWD have been confirmed in captive deer at the facilities. CWD has since been found in 10 free-ranging deer within two miles of the captive facility in Macon County. CWD in Missouri has not been detected outside of a small area that borders northeastern Linn and northwestern Macon counties.

 

snip...

 

MDC is Leading Detection and Containment Efforts

 

Missourians care about conservation and have given the Missouri Department of Conservation constitutional responsibility to protect and manage all of the state’s wildlife, including white-tailed deer. Both captive and free-ranging white-tailed deer in Missouri are wildlife. MDC began testing free-ranging white-tailed deer for CWD throughout the state in 2001 when the disease began emerging as a serious issue in the Midwest. MDC has followed well established scientific sampling processes and tested more than 40,000 free-ranging white-tailed deer for CWD to date. As a result of that testing, MDC determined that it is highly unlikely CWD was in Missouri before its recent discovery in north-central Missouri.

 

Since CWD was first found in Missouri in 2010, the Department has intensified efforts to work with hunters, landowners, taxidermists, and meat processors to test free-ranging deer around the state for CWD, especially in the area of north-central Missouri where CWD has been found.

 

MDC has also been working with area landowners and hunters to limit the spread of CWD. Efforts include reducing deer numbers in the area where CWD has been found, and discouraging movement of harvested deer carcasses from the area where CWD has been found.

 

MDC is working with hunters to limit the threat of CWD from other states by restricting transportation of harvested deer carcasses into Missouri. MDC has also been working with the public to limit the spread of CWD to other deer by restricting feeding of deer in the area where CWD has been found, and by eliminating the antler-point restriction in six counties in north-central Missouri around where CWD has been found.

 

Captive Cervids

 

The Department of Conservation, consistent with its constitutional mandate, is responsible for the management of captive wildlife – ranging from quail to black bears to venomous snakes to white-tailed deer. As of January 2014, Missouri has 39 permitted big-game hunting preserves and 221 permitted wildlife breeders with white-tailed deer. Since 2003 the number of wildlife breeders with white-tailed deer has remained constant. Records indicate that over 200 captive wildlife breeders hold less than 50 deer. Only 8 permittees hold more than 100 deer.

 

Regulating and permitting of captive white-tailed deer by the Conservation Department is focused to minimize impacts to Missouri’s free-ranging wildlife resources, ensure appropriate confinement standards/ facilities, address wildlife disease potential, ensure the integrity of the captive cervid industry, and regulate hunting of captive wildlife.

 

Areas of Concern

 

1. Captive cervid movement: risk of disease transmission. CWD-monitored captive herds of white-tailed deer in Iowa and Pennsylvania, and a captive red deer herd in Minnesota, have been found to be CWD-positive despite certification and monitoring efforts. Disease transmission between captive herds has been documented in Saskatchewan, Iowa, New York, and Minnesota. Many states that currently allow captive deer herds have taken steps to close their borders to interstate movement of deer. To help minimize risk to Missouri’s deer, the Department is considering closing Missouri to interstate movement of captive deer. This will help minimize potential disease risks from moving infected captive deer. A recent example is Florida and New York closing their borders. Captive deer breeders and shooting preserves could still obtain deer from captive herds currently in our state.

 

2. Fencing standards: inadequate separation of captive and free-ranging deer and direct and indirect live animal interaction. Past experiences have shown existing fence standards need to be enhanced. Deer breeders and shooting preserves have reported more than 150 escapes over the last 3 years. Deer to deer contact is possible with existing fencing standards.

 

3. Captive cervid testing and herd certification: Deer and other cervid breeders participating in the voluntary CWD Herd Certification Program are only required to test animals over 12 months of age that die within the facility. Big-game shooting preserves are not required to test deer for CWD. Not all deer breeders participate in the voluntary program. Currently, less than 70 percent of white-tailed deer breeders participate in the program. Rapid detection is the key to maximizing our ability to effectively manage the spread of CWD and other diseases. A need exists for real-time inventory information on all captive deer herds. Information should be up-todate and clearly document where a specific animal came from and when it was removed (shot or sold) from the herd. Without these details, the ability to determine where animals came from is not possible when disease outbreaks occur. This information served Iowa and Wisconsin very well when they discovered CWD-positive herds in their states. Potential Regulations

 

• Close MO borders to importation

 

• New fencing standards

 

• Mandatory enrollment of all captive herds in the CWD monitoring program

 

• Test all captive deer that die from six months of age and older

 


 

• Close MO borders to importation

 

• New fencing standards

 

• Mandatory enrollment of all captive herds in the CWD monitoring program

 

• Test all captive deer that die from six months of age and older

 

IT is a start I suppose, but the six month age and older should be changed to all cervids, with no age restrictions, in my opinion. see why;

 

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.

 


 

double fencing is a start, but the height must me more than 8 feet. in Texas, it's really anything goes now ;

 

Thursday, October 03, 2013

 

*** TAHC ADOPTS CWD RULE THAT the amendments __REMOVE__ the requirement for a specific fence height for captives ***

 

Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC)

 

October 3, 2013

 


 

Missouri SB964 Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still Alive in Senate

 

Subject: Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still Alive in Senate

 

MDC Header Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still Alive in Senate

 

The Missouri Department of Conservation is sending this information as a conservation-partner courtesy to the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

 

April 29, 2014

 

From the Conservation Federation of Missouri

 

Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still Alive in Senate Members of the Missouri Senate are still pushing for passage of SB964. This bill aims to transfer control of captive cervids from the Missouri Department of Conservation to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, even though both departments are opposed to the transfer.

 

SB964 was perfected on April 23, and is on the Formal Calendar for its third reading. This may happen today. If SB964 passes its third reading, it will head to the House for approval.

 

Time is of the essence. Please act now to let your Senator know you are opposed to SB964 and the transfer of captive cervids from the Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture.

 

Use the following link to look up your Senator and their contact information:

 


 

Dear Senator (Blank),

 

As your constituent, I need you to know that I am adamantly opposed to SB964 and the transfer of captive white-tailed deer from the Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture.

 

There are an estimated 1.5 million wild whitetails in the state of Missouri that over 500,000 hunters pursue each fall. Protecting the wildlife of our state is a major concern of mine. It is also a major concern of my family and my friends.

 

Please vote NO to SB964.

 

Thank you for your consideration.

 

Sincerely,

 

(YOUR NAME)

 

*****END*****

 


 

see more here ;

 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

 

Missouri SB964 Immediate Action Required: Captive Cervids Transfer is Still Alive in Senate

 


 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

 

CWD Herd Certification Program and Interstate Movement of Farmed or Captive Deer, Elk, and Moose FR Doc No: 2014-09714 April 29, 2014 UPDATE

 


 

USDA VS DNR $$$

 

*** Spraker suggested an interesting explanation for the occurrence of CWD. The deer pens at the Foot Hills Campus were built some 30-40 years ago by a Dr. Bob Davis. At or abut that time, allegedly, some scrapie work was conducted at this site. When deer were introduced to the pens they occupied ground that had previously been occupied by sheep. ... also, see where even decades back, the USDA had the same thought as they do today with CWD, not their problem...see page 27 below as well, where USDA stated back then, the same thing they stated in the state of Pennsylvania, not their damn business, once they escape, and they said the same thing about CWD in general back then ; ”The occurrence of CWD must be viewed against the contest of the locations in which it occurred. It was an incidental and unwelcome complication of the respective wildlife research programmes. Despite it’s subsequent recognition as a new disease of cervids, therefore justifying direct investigation, no specific research funding was forthcoming.

 

***The USDA veiwed it as a wildlife problem and consequently not their province!” ...page 26.

 


 

”The occurrence of CWD must be viewed against the contest of the locations in which it occurred. It was an incidental and unwelcome complication of the respective wildlife research programmes. Despite it’s subsequent recognition as a new disease of cervids, therefore justifying direct investigation, no specific research funding was forthcoming. The USDA veiwed it as a wildlife problem and consequently not their province!” ...page 26.

 

sound familiar $$$

 

Sunday, January 06, 2013

 

USDA TO PGC ONCE CAPTIVES ESCAPE *** "it‘s no longer its business.”

 


 

spreading cwd around...tss

 

Between 1996 and 2002, chronic wasting disease was diagnosed in 39 herds of farmed elk in Saskatchewan in a single epidemic. All of these herds were depopulated as part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) disease eradication program. Animals, primarily over 12 mo of age, were tested for the presence CWD prions following euthanasia. Twenty-one of the herds were linked through movements of live animals with latent CWD from a single infected source herd in Saskatchewan, 17 through movements of animals from 7 of the secondarily infected herds.

 

***The source herd is believed to have become infected via importation of animals from a game farm in South Dakota where CWD was subsequently diagnosed (7,4). A wide range in herd prevalence of CWD at the time of herd depopulation of these herds was observed. Within-herd transmission was observed on some farms, while the disease remained confined to the introduced animals on other farms.

 


 

spreading cwd around...tss

 

Friday, May 13, 2011

 

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the Republic of Korea Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the Republic of Korea

 

Hyun-Joo Sohn, Yoon-Hee Lee, Min-jeong Kim, Eun-Im Yun, Hyo-Jin Kim, Won-Yong Lee, Dong-Seob Tark, In- Soo Cho, Foreign Animal Disease Research Division, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Republic of Korea

 

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been recognized as an important prion disease in native North America deer and Rocky mountain elks. The disease is a unique member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which naturally affects only a few species. CWD had been limited to USA and Canada until 2000.

 

On 28 December 2000, information from the Canadian government showed that a total of 95 elk had been exported from farms with CWD to Korea. These consisted of 23 elk in 1994 originating from the so-called “source farm” in Canada, and 72 elk in 1997, which had been held in pre export quarantine at the “source farm”.Based on export information of CWD suspected elk from Canada to Korea, CWD surveillance program was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) in 2001.

 

All elks imported in 1997 were traced back, however elks imported in 1994 were impossible to identify. CWD control measures included stamping out of all animals in the affected farm, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the premises. In addition, nationwide clinical surveillance of Korean native cervids, and improved measures to ensure reporting of CWD suspect cases were implemented.

 

Total of 9 elks were found to be affected. CWD was designated as a notifiable disease under the Act for Prevention of Livestock Epidemics in 2002.

 

Additional CWD cases - 12 elks and 2 elks - were diagnosed in 2004 and 2005.

 

Since February of 2005, when slaughtered elks were found to be positive, all slaughtered cervid for human consumption at abattoirs were designated as target of the CWD surveillance program. Currently, CWD laboratory testing is only conducted by National Reference Laboratory on CWD, which is the Foreign Animal Disease Division (FADD) of National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS).

 

In July 2010, one out of 3 elks from Farm 1 which were slaughtered for the human consumption was confirmed as positive. Consequently, all cervid – 54 elks, 41 Sika deer and 5 Albino deer – were culled and one elk was found to be positive. Epidemiological investigations were conducted by Veterinary Epidemiology Division (VED) of NVRQS in collaboration with provincial veterinary services.

 

Epidemiologically related farms were found as 3 farms and all cervid at these farms were culled and subjected to CWD diagnosis. Three elks and 5 crossbreeds (Red deer and Sika deer) were confirmed as positive at farm 2.

 

All cervids at Farm 3 and Farm 4 – 15 elks and 47 elks – were culled and confirmed as negative.

 

Further epidemiological investigations showed that these CWD outbreaks were linked to the importation of elks from Canada in 1994 based on circumstantial evidences.

 

In December 2010, one elk was confirmed as positive at Farm 5. Consequently, all cervid – 3 elks, 11 Manchurian Sika deer and 20 Sika deer – were culled and one Manchurian Sika deer and seven Sika deer were found to be positive. This is the first report of CWD in these sub-species of deer. Epidemiological investigations found that the owner of the Farm 2 in CWD outbreaks in July 2010 had co-owned the Farm 5.

 

In addition, it was newly revealed that one positive elk was introduced from Farm 6 of Jinju-si Gyeongsang Namdo. All cervid – 19 elks, 15 crossbreed (species unknown) and 64 Sika deer – of Farm 6 were culled, but all confirmed as negative.

 

: Corresponding author: Dr. Hyun-Joo Sohn (+82-31-467-1867, E-mail: shonhj@korea.kr) 2011 Pre-congress Workshop: TSEs in animals and their environment 5

 


 


 


 

Friday, May 13, 2011

 

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the Republic of Korea

 


 

how many states have $465,000., and can quarantine and purchase there from, each cwd said infected farm, but how many states can afford this for all the cwd infected cervid game ranch type farms ???

 

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.

 

SUMMARY:

 


 


 

October 11, 2013

 

Protecting Missouri's White-Tailed Deer fill out the questionnaire ;

 


 

Friday, September 20, 2013

 

Missouri State records show gaps in oversight of captive deer farms, ranches

 


 

Sunday, June 09, 2013

 

Missouri House forms 13-member Interim Committee on the Cause and Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD

 


 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

 

CWD Missouri remains confined to Linn-Macon-County Core Area with four new cases

 


 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

 

Missouri sixth case CWD documented northwest Macon County

 


 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

 

CWD found in two free-ranging deer from Macon County Missouri

 


 

Friday, February 26, 2010

 

Chronic wasting disease found in Missouri deer

 


 

Sunday, March 25, 2012

 

Three more cases of CWD found in free-ranging deer in Macon County

 


 

From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.

 

Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 6:26 PM

 

To: warhovert@missouri.edu

 

Cc: abbottjm@missouri.edu ; waltermr@missouri.edu ; John.McLaughlin@missouri.edu ; connerek@missouri.edu ; contact@dnr.mo.gov ; Shelly.Witt@mda.mo.gov ; Animal.Health@mda.mo.gov ; acfa@mda.mo.gov ; animalid@mda.mo.gov ; Linda.Hickam@mda.mo.gov

 

Subject: re-Missouri officials seek states' advice on chronic wasting disease in deer

 


 

Thursday, May 31, 2012

 

Missouri MDC staff will provide information on five recently found cases of CWD in free-ranging deer in northwest Macon County June 2, 2012

 


 

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

 

Missouri MDC seeks hunters’ help when processing harvested deer and preventing CWD

 


 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

 

MISSOURI Initial CWD sampling test results available online from MDC so far one adult buck has tested positive for the disease

 


 

Friday, October 21, 2011

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer Missouri October 20, 2011

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer

 

The Missouri departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a captive white-tailed deer in Macon County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose.

 

snip...

 

The animal that tested positive for CWD was a captive white-tailed deer inspected as part of the State's CWD surveillance and testing program. Preliminary tests were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

 

snip...

 

In February 2010 a case of CWD was confirmed in Linn County on a captive hunting preserve operated by the same entity, Heartland Wildlife Ranches, LLC. The Linn County facility was depopulated and no further infection was identified at that facility. The current case was identified through increased surveillance required by the management plan implemented from the previous CWD incident.

 

snip...

 


 

Friday, October 21, 2011

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer Missouri

 


 

The Missouri Department of Agriculture discovers the state's first case of CWD in a captive white-tailed deer.

 


 

Friday, February 26, 2010

 

Chronic wasting disease found in Missouri deer February 25, 2010

 

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer

 

The Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that a captive white-tailed deer in Linn County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose.

 

"There is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to domestic animals or humans," said State Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Woods. "We have protocols in place to quickly and effectively handle these situations."

 

The animal that tested positive for CWD was a white-tailed deer inspected as part of the State's CWD surveillance and testing program. Preliminary tests were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

 

Upon receiving the confirmed CWD positive, Missouri's departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services initiated their CWD Contingency Plan. The plan was developed in 2002 by the Cervid Health Committee, a task force comprised of veterinarians, animal health officers and conservation officers from USDA, MDA, MDC and DHSS working together to mitigate challenges associated with CWD.

 

CWD is transmitted by live animal to animal contact or soil to animal contact. The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in the Colorado Division of Wildlife captive wildlife research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD has been documented in deer and/or elk in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There has been no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans.

 

"Missouri's proactive steps to put a testing protocol in place and create a contingency plan years ago is proving beneficial. We are in a solid position to follow pre-established steps to ensure Missouri's valuable whitetail deer resource remains healthy and strong," said Jason Sumners Missouri's Deer Biologist.

 

For more information regarding CWD, please contact Dr. Taylor Woods at (573) 751-3377.

 


 


 

TSS

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