Wisconsin Captive CWD Lotto Pays Out Again indemnity payment of $298,770 for 228 white-tailed deer killed on farm
Wisconsin Captive CWD Lotto Pays Out Again indemnity payment of $298,770 for 228
white-tailed deer killed on farm
State pays farmer $298,000 for infected deer herd
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 16, 2016 8:05 p.m.
The State of Wisconsin paid nearly $300,000 to the Eau Claire County farmer
whose deer herd was depopulated after it was found to be infected with chronic
wasting disease.
Rick Vojtik, owner of Fairchild Whitetails in Fairchild, received an
indemnity payment of $298,770 for 228 white-tailed deer killed on his farm,
according to officials with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection.
The money was taken from the agency's general program revenue funded by
Wisconsin taxpayers.
The state has a maximum payment of $1,500 per animal in such cases; Vojtik
received $1,310 each.
The adult deer killed at Fairchild Whitetails were tested for disease.
Including those tested before depopulation, 33 deer at the facility were
CWD-positive, according to the DATCP.
The CWD-positive deer on Vojtik's farm were the first and only detected to
date in Eau Claire County and triggered a deer baiting and feeding ban in Eau
Claire, Clark and Jackson counties.
More than a dozen deer escaped the facility last year but all were captured
or killed, according to Rick Rosen, regional warden supervisor for the
Department of Natural Resources.
In Wisconsin, the DATCP has authority over deer and elk farms while the DNR
has authority over the fences at such facilities and deer and elk outside
them.
Under an agreement with state officials, Vojtik will maintain the farm's
fences for five years and not put deer or other cervids in the area. Agents with
the DATCP will disinfect the property, said Paul McGraw, DATCP
veterinarian.
The 228 deer had been held in an enclosure of about 10 acres.
Chronic wasting disease has been found at 13 captive cervid facilities in
Wisconsin, according to DATCP records.
Second CWD finding in Oneida County: A second CWD-positive deer has been
reported at an Oneida County shooting preserve, according to the DATCP.
The 5-year-old buck was shot at Three Lakes Trophy Ranch LLC in Three
Lakes. The agency received the CWD-positive report on the animal Dec. 29.
A 3-year-old buck at the facility also tested positive for the disease in
November, initiating a baiting and feeding ban in Oneida, Forest and Vilas
counties.
Officials with the DATCP said Friday there was no plan to depopulate the
facility. According to records from December, Three Lakes Trophy Ranch had about
425 deer on 570 acres.
The captive animals are the only deer to test positive for CWD in that
portion of the Northwoods, including the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Last year, Michigan officials unveiled a campaign called "Keep the U.P. CWD
Free!" It is illegal to bring whole deer carcasses from Wisconsin into
Michigan.
Chronic wasting disease was identified in Colorado in 1967. The disease,
among a family of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies including Mad Cow
Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, is fatal to deer, elk and moose. The disease was
first detected in Wisconsin in 2002 near Mount Horeb. As of this month, 41 of
the state's 72 counties are considered "CWD-affected" by the DNR.
Meat from a CWD-positive animal should not be eaten, according to health
officials.
DNR hiring for creel survey: The DNR is accepting applications for three
fisheries technicians to conduct creel surveys on Lake Michigan.
The limited-term employee positions will run from about March 7 to Oct. 31;
the jobs will be based in Mishicot, Plymouth and Sturtevant.
According to the job description, candidates must be able to accurately
identify common Lake Michigan fish; have good oral and written communication
skills; be able to work independently with limited supervision; be able to
approach anglers on piers and breakwaters, rocky shorelines, open sand, cobble
beaches and along streams and rivers over uneven terrain; and be willing to work
in inclement weather.
The jobs will pay $11.50 to $12.50 per hour depending on experience and
training. Work is required on weekends and holidays.
For application materials and more information, visit
dnr.wi.gov/employment. The application deadline is Feb. 2.
Interviews are planned the week of Feb. 8 at the DNR's Plymouth Service
Center.
© 2016, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.
About Paul A. Smith Paul A. Smith covers outdoors and conservation
issues.
@mjsps psmith@journalsentinel.com 414-224-2313
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:
$298,770 + $465,000
Friday, December 04, 2015
Wisconsin CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Oneida County hunting
preserve December 3, 2015
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
*** Disease sampling results provide current snapshot of CWD in Wisconsin
finding 324 positive detections statewide in 2014
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Wisconsin Chronic wasting disease confirmed in Crawford County buck
harvested on private land
Friday, January 15, 2016
TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE CWD Ante-Mortem Testing Symposium Texas Disposal
Systems Events Pavilion January 12, 2016
Thursday, January 14, 2016
EMERGING ANIMAL DISEASES Actions Needed to Better Position USDA to Address
Future Risks Report to the Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of
Representatives December 2015 GAO-16-132
GAO
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Texas 10,000 deer in Texas tested for deadly disease CWD TSE, but not
tested much in the most logical place, the five-mile radius around the Medina
County captive-deer facility where it was discovered
tss
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
12:30 PM
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