UPDATED;
Deer suspected positive for CWD found in Watertown Township; Jan. 12 public meeting set
DNR to hold CWD meeting in DeWitt Township Tuesday
Tom Thelen, Lansing State Journal 12:13 p.m. EST January 11, 2016
Tests confirm deer taken in Watertown Twp. positive for CWD
Deer suspected positive for CWD found in Watertown Township; Jan. 12 public meeting set
Dec. 30, 2015
Contact: Steve Schmitt, 517-336-5040 or Chad Stewart, 517-641-4903, ext.
263
DNR lauds partners in continuing battle against chronic wasting disease
Deer suspected positive for CWD found in Watertown Township; Jan. 12 public
meeting set With deer hunting seasons coming to a close, the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources wants to thank the important partners who have emerged in
the ongoing fight against chronic wasting disease (CWD) – a neurological disease
always fatal once contracted by deer, elk or moose.
Earlier this year, Michigan’s first case of CWD in free-ranging
white-tailed deer was confirmed in Meridian Township in Ingham County.
[IMG] Since May, nearly 4,000 deer have been tested for CWD. Of those
deer, four have been confirmed positive for the disease in Clinton and Ingham
counties. One new suspected CWD-positive deer was found recently in Clinton
County.
Although discovering CWD in Michigan’s wild deer herd was something
wildlife officials had hoped to avoid, DNR deer program managers are pleased
with the cooperation and commitment that have made surveillance of CWD more
productive.
“From the individual who reported the initial sick deer, to U.S. Department
of Agriculture Wildlife Services doing targeted surveillance, to the hunters who
complied with regulations and checked their harvested deer, to the township
officials who have supported DNR efforts - they are all important pieces to
hopefully eradicating this disease in Michigan,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer,
moose and elk management specialist.
The latest suspected CWD-positive deer was located in Watertown Township,
a new location for CWD in Michigan.
The DNR is trying to inform individuals near that area of the critical
role they can play.
“An archery hunter brought his deer from Watertown Township into a DNR
check station to have it aged and receive a successful hunter patch. He wasn’t
going to have it tested,” Stewart said. “We suggested that he test just in case.
If he hadn’t agreed, we may not have found another suspect.”
To inform area residents about what this most recent finding of the disease
may mean for them, the DNR has scheduled a town hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m.,
Tuesday, Jan. 12 in the DeWitt Charter Township Valley Farms Community Center,
which is located at 16101 Brook Road in Lansing.
At the meeting, Stewart and Dr. Steve Schmitt, DNR wildlife veterinarian,
will provide information on CWD, its impacts on deer and deer populations, and
how the DNR has responded to the discovery of the disease thus far.
There will be plenty of time for questions.
“We would like to build the same type of support in DeWitt and Watertown
townships that we have seen in Meridian,” Stewart said. “Township officials,
hunters and landowners are critical to our plan.”
Schmitt said in many instances, misinformation, especially on electronic
media, has caused resistance to
[IMG] DNR plans and actions to battle CWD.
Some groups do not believe CWD has a devastating impact on deer
populations and instead think that by leaving deer alone they will grow
resistant to the disease. On the contrary, some infected western deer
populations have been reduced by half, with CWD contributing greatly to this
decline.
“We have individuals and groups who want to provide their own opinions on
this disease,” Schmitt said. “The information they are putting out is blatantly
incorrect, and we want hunters and landowners to inform themselves through
credible science.”
This disease is serious.
There will be no new hunting regulation changes from now through the end
of the deer season as the DNR conducts CWD surveillance and decides what
additional steps might need to be taken for next year's seasons.
CWD affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. It is caused by
the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in
saliva and other body fluids of infected animals.
Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to these fluids, or
from environments contaminated with the fluids including soils, or the carcass
of a diseased animal.
To date, there is no evidence the disease presents any risk to
non-cervids, including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or
from handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and the World Health Organization recommend infected animals not be
consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.
Hunters submitting a deer head for testing will be able to find out the
test results for their deer within seven to 10 days.
To learn more about CWD, visit www.michigan.gov/cwd.
=====================
Battling chronic wasting disease
This year saw the state’s first confirmed finding of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Michigan’s free-ranging white-tailed deer herd. To date, CWD – a neurological disease that is always fatal for deer, elk and moose – has been
confirmed in four deer, all in separate
incidents in Clinton and Ingham counties.Although it was a finding wildlife officials had hoped to avoid, DNR deer program managers are pleased with the cooperation and commitment that have made surveillance of CWD more productive.
For DNR deer specialist Chad Stewart, the biggest takeaway has been how the DNR, local officials, hunters and landowners came together in a joint effort to combat the deadly wildlife disease.
“Because we had solid relationships before the CWD finding, we were able to mobilize quickly and put our plan into action,” Stewart said. “We want to thank hunters, too, for their vigilance in our CWD surveillance. This disease will take time to understand whether and how it can be eradicated. That can’t happen without hunter support.”
In light of Michigan’s proximity to CWD-infected Wisconsin, the DNR also launched a proactive hunter education campaign – “Keep CWD Out of the U.P.!” – that garnered national attention for the agency’s efforts to boost awareness among hunters.
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Tuesday, December 01, 2015
MICHIGAN 4TH WILD CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD SUSPECT CONFIRMED
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
TEXAS MONTHLY CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD JANUARY 2016 DEER BREEDERS STILL
DON'T GET IT $
Chronic Wasting Unease
The emergence of a deadly disease has wildlife officials and deer breeders
eyeing each other suspiciously.
kind regards, terry
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