Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update October 2026
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update October 2026
i don’t know what happened, but i seemed to have neglected updating Kansas since 2022, my bad…terry
i don’t know what happened, but i seemed to have neglected updating Kansas since 2022, my bad…terry
2026-2027 CWD Testing Results
CWD results take about 1 month after samples are received when the lab is busy. When the lab is not as busy during the start of deer season, testing typically takes 2 weeks. It is highly recommended that venison be frozen for at least 30 days before cooking or dehydrating to to help kill any parasites that may be present.
About Negative Results: Based on current transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) research and pathogenesis studies, it is is possible to have protease-resistant prion protein present at levels below the sensitivity of this test. It may also be present in tissue other than those that were sampled. This analysis was performed and validated using scrapie positive brain or lymph node tissues as controls.
ANIMAL ID RESULT
K028895 Negative
K029191 Positive
K1016594 Positive
K028724 Negative
K1001017 Positive
K1006459 Positive
K1000540 Positive
K1009979 Negative
K1009966 Positive
K1009982 Negative
K1009967 Positive
K1008901 Negative
K1008902 Negative
K1009990 Negative
Otto Negative Cooper Negative D26-077726-1 Negative
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-testing-results#results
The first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in 2001.
As of June 2026, CWD has been detected in 1,440 deer and elk in Kansas, including 2 captive elk, 1 captive mule deer, 1 wild, free-ranging elk, and 1,436 wild, free-ranging deer.
All five surveillance zones in Kansas now have confirmed CWD detections. Since monitoring began in 1996, 37,625 deer and elk have been sampled and tested for CWD…
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease
statewide sampling and free CWD testing
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-testing-results
Kansas
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
article Front. Vet. Sci., 07 July 2026 Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Volume 13 - 2026 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1827624
The direction and rate of spread of chronic wasting disease
Arun Suresh Arun Suresh 1 Z Zoe Shanley 1 S Shane Hesting 2 L Levi Jaster 2 A Akila Raghavan 3 Ram K. Raghavan Ram K. Raghavan 3,4,5* 1. Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 2. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Emporia, KS, United States 3. Department of Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 4. Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 5. MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States Abstract
Introduction: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible prion disease of cervids that continues to expand across North America. Although the spatiotemporal distribution of CWD in the central United States has been extensively documented, the direction and rate of disease spread remain poorly understood, limiting the implementation of proactive surveillance and mitigation strategies.
Methods: We developed a data-driven spatiotemporal modeling framework to quantify the direction and rate of CWD spread across Kansas using surveillance data collected between 2005 and 2023. Kansas was partitioned into 20 km2 spatial grid cells, and disease dynamics within each cell were modeled using a system of differential equations representing susceptible, infected, and environmental compartments. Spatial migration processes were incorporated through a stochastic mixing matrix informed by empirically observed patterns of first infection among neighboring cells. Model parameters were optimized through a grid search of plausible values derived from published literature, and predictive performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. To characterize spread dynamics, we applied a weighted centroid approach at the zonal scale and a migration-based vector flow analysis at the local scale.
Results: The model successfully reproduced the observed spatiotemporal progression of CWD across Kansas with high predictive accuracy (mean AUC = 0.88). Zonal analyses revealed a predominant northwest-to-southeast progression of infection, with substantial regional heterogeneity in both direction and velocity of spread. Local vector-flow analyses identified multiple transmission corridors and persistent hotspots that may function as regional sources of infection dissemination. Rates of spread quantified at both zonal and local scales corroborated the directional trends observed in the flow analyses and highlighted areas characterized by elevated transmission intensity and migratory spread. Importantly, the model demonstrated strong forecasting capability by anticipating emerging areas of infection prior to their confirmation through surveillance.
Discussion: By integrating mechanistic disease dynamics with empirically informed migration processes, our framework provides a quantitative characterization of both the direction and rate of CWD spread at two spatial scales. These findings offer actionable insights for wildlife disease management by supporting targeted surveillance, boundary monitoring, and region-specific intervention strategies.
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In addition to accurately reproducing observed patterns, the model demonstrates clear predictive capacity. In the south-central zone (Figure 5), it forecasted an infection hotspot along Kansas's southern border 2 years prior to official detection in 2020. Similarly, mild infection activity predicted in the eastern corridor in 2019 was later confirmed through field observations in 2021. These forward-looking examples underscore the model's predictive strength.
The boundaries of infectious mass for observed and predicted infection intensities (number of infected cervids in a given cell) across Kansas are illustrated in Figure 6. Examination of their evolution reveals two persistent clusters: one originating in the northwest and another along the southern border. These clusters remain separated by a diagonal, infection-free corridor evident in both simulated and observed data. This configuration suggests that CWD spread in Kansas is more complex than a single northwest-to-southeast migratory front. Instead, the evidence supports bifurcated spread along two distinct pathways: one extending southward and southeastward from the northwestern and north-central regions, and another emerging independently along the southern border. Although the northwest-to-southcentral migration is substantial, zonal movement estimates indicate that the northwestern zone itself exhibits limited net displacement (1.60 km/year overall), reinforcing its role as a persistent source region rather than a rapidly advancing front. In contrast, the south-central zone demonstrates substantially greater centroid movement (6.40 km/year overall), consistent with interaction between the northwestern and southern-border transmission strands. This southern-border strand was not identified in prior occupational or spatiotemporal modeling studies using the same dataset (3, 4).
Additional support for this dual-front pattern comes from zonal weighted centroid shifts (Figures 7a, b) and cell-level analyses (Figure 9). In the south-central zone, centroids initially shifted southeast (2018–2019), likely responding to new detections at the southern border. As this new southern strand migrated eastward, centroid movement reoriented toward the central regions of the zone reflecting the southward expansion of the northwestern front. The magnitude of this movement is reflected in the strong horizontal (−3.79 km/year) and vertical (+5.15 km/year) displacement components observed in this zone. In the eastern zone, centroids shifted sharply southwestward, with large horizontal (−6.04 km/year) and vertical (−8.80 km/year) components yielding the highest overall displacement estimate (10.68 km/year). However, as discussed below, these high rates likely reflect limited sampling density rather than sustained directional expansion. Cell-level plots (Figure 9) further confirm the elevated eastward spread along the southern border alongside sustained expansion of the northwestern cluster. Together, these findings indicate that CWD spread in the south-central and eastern regions is driven by two transmission pathways.
The southern incursion may have resulted from movement of migrating cervids in northern Oklahoma, possibly via the Osage National Reserve, or from improper disposal of infected carcasses transported from northwestern Kansas. Both possibilities warrant further investigation, as clarifying localized movement patterns could inform targeted prevention and control strategies.
Beyond the south-central dynamics, clear patterns also emerge in the northwestern and north-central regions. Infection centroids in the northwestern zone remain concentrated near Decatur and Sheridan Counties (Table 3; Figure 7b), aligning with the highest observed and simulated infection intensities statewide (Figure 5). Zonal spread rates indicate minimal internal movement in this region (horizontal 1.07 km/year; vertical −1.17 km/year), consistent with persistent hotspots from 2017–2022. In contrast, the north-central zone shows moderate net displacement (3.19 km/year overall), primarily driven by eastward movement (3.19 km/year). Internal KDWP and USDA reports suggest CWD in Decatur County may have originated from an infected elk herd later unaccounted for, potentially accelerating long-term establishment given the high transmissibility of elk prions to white-tailed deer. Cell-level analyses (Figure 9) indicate these hotspots likely function as sources, seeding adjacent areas and contributing to southeastward spread. Notably, six of the seven cells with the highest infection rates (Table 6) in the northwestern zone correspond to Sheridan and Rawlins counties, bordering Decatur County and southern Nebraska.
Local analyses (Figure 9, Supplemental File 1) reveal consistent southward movement along the northern border and eastward movement along the western border, suggesting possible dual incursion into Kansas from southern Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Supporting this, CWD has been documented in unit 13 of southern Nebraska bordering northwestern Kansas, and in northeastern Colorado as of 2022, also bordering the northwestern zone (25, 26). Concurrently, migration rates in the north-central zone show northward flow into Nebraska from Smith and Phillips counties at approximately 6 km every 2 months, suggesting bidirectional transmission across state lines. Monitoring this corridor could strengthen management efforts.
In the southwestern zone, zonal analyses indicate gradual westward shift (horizontal −2.36 km/year) with relatively limited vertical displacement, yielding a moderate overall rate (2.55 km/year). Despite this, infection has not yet reached the far southwestern boundary. Spread rates here remain among the lowest of the affected zones. Targeted check stations along the slow-moving infection boundary (Figure 6) could facilitate early detection and mitigation. In contrast, although the eastern zone exhibits the highest centroid displacement estimate, cell-level rates suggest local migration remains slow, supporting the interpretation that zonal velocity estimates may be inflated by sparse sampling. Expanded surveillance would likely improve movement estimates in this region.
Despite the strengths of this framework, limitations remain. Chief among them is the absence of environmental and explicit host-factor (age, sex) inputs, which are known to influence deer movement and disease dynamics. Incorporating habitat-level land cover, land use, soil, and elevation data would likely improve the representation of the rate and direction of CWD spread. Our prior work has identified the influence of land cover, soil, and elevation on CWD in the state. Future extensions should dynamically integrate these environmental and host-factor variables at appropriate spatial scales to enable more comprehensive modeling of disease progression.
5 Conclusion This study delivers a quantitative, multi-scale characterization of the rate and direction of CWD spread across Kansas. By uniting mechanistic disease dynamics with empirically informed migration, the framework reveals dual-front propagation, identifies persistent sources and high-flux corridors, and provides potential early-warning signals of emerging hotspots. In systems where conventional interventions are limited, such spatially explicit, predictive tools are critical for designing targeted surveillance, prioritizing management actions, and mitigating the continued expansion of chronic wasting disease.
Statements Data availability statement The data used in this publication can be made available for reasonable use in research by the author at the discretion of University of Missouri and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2026.1827624/full
***> Kansas a bit of CWD History
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
Kansas As of 30 June 2022, CWD has been detected in 738 cervids, including 2 captive elk, 1 captive mule deer
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2022/09/kansas-as-of-30-june-2022-cwd-has-been.html
Kansas, As of 30 June 2020, CWD has been detected in 363 cervids - two captive elk and 361 wild, free-ranging deer in Deer Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18.
These include 82 mule deer, 274 white-tailed deer, 2 captive elk, and 5 unknown deer species.
2020-2021 CWD Sampling Information
The first case of CWD was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in 2001.
As of 30 June 2020, CWD has been detected in 363 cervids - two captive elk and 361 wild, free-ranging deer in Deer Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18.
These include 82 mule deer, 274 white-tailed deer, 2 captive elk, and 5 unknown deer species.
Surveillance efforts began in 1996 and, to date, 27,863 cervids have been sampled and tested for CWD.
Hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts can avoid the human-assisted spread of CWD by not transporting a live or dead deer or elk from areas where CWD occurs. HUNTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE ELECTRONIC DEER CHECK-IN OR LEAVE EVIDENCE OF SEX ATTACHED TO THE CARCASS.
BONE-OUT DEER, AND LEAVE CARCASSES IN THE COUNTIES WHERE DEER ARE TAKEN. MOVING CARCASSES MOVES PRIONS AND CWD TO NEW LOCATIONS!
There is currently no known treatment or eradication method for CWD, so preventing the introduction of the the disease into new areas is of utmost importance to the health of local deer herds. Baiting and feeding deer tend to concentrate deer at small point on the landscape, often with the trails leading to the feeding sites resembling the wheel spokes of a bicycle. Anytime animals are concentrated at this type of "hub," the likelihood of disease transmission increases in a deer herd. More alarming, the transferring of CWD prions to healthy deer is not the only concern. Diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot rot, and fungal infections; and a host of detrimental parasites, including exotic lice, flukes, mange mites, lungworms, and barberpole worms are transmitted more efficiently when deer are concentrated in a small area, especially around feeding stations. Think of future generations of hunters and do your best to lower wildlife disease transmission risk.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
2020-2021 CWD Test Results (Results Added As Tests Are Completed)
Animal ID Test Result K031197 Negative
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
After the 2015-2016 seasons, prevalence was calculated to be between 10-20% with 95% confidence in bucks 2.5 years-old and older in the Northwest Zone. After 2019-2020 CWD surveillance, prevalence in the Northwest Zone was calculated to be 34.1 - 49.5% with 95% confidence in bucks 2.5 years-old and older. Currently, the overall trend is increasing prevalence and eastward spread.
Another major concern is the potential of CWD spreading from captive cervid farms into the wild cervid population. Once a disease gets into a wild population, it is virtually impossible eradicate. KDWPT recommends that every captive cervid operator enroll in the voluntary CWD monitoring program administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Division. The sooner diseases such as CWD can be detected in captives, the sooner control efforts can begin and possibly prevent disease from spreading to wild populations of the state. CWD is only one of many diseases that could go undetected in an unmonitored captive cervid herd. Bovine tuberculosis and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), for example, are serious diseases that could seriously damage not only populations of deer and an annual 350 million-dollar hunting economy, but could also threaten the 6 billion-dollar Kansas cattle industry via quarantines, loss of accreditation, and loss of global export.
2020-2021 CWD SAMPLING INFORMATION
IMPORTANT: Help Control the Spread of CWD and CWD Prions in Kansas!!
1. Use Electronic Deer Check-In or Leave Evidence of Sex Attached to the Carcass.
2. Remove the musculature (deboning) from the carcass and leave the carcass at the kill site. Make sure to complete Step 1 first.
3. If at all possible, do not transport a carcass from counties known to have CWD (see map above) to other counties. Use electronic deer check-in: https://programs.ksoutdoors.com/Programs/Electronic-Deer-Check-in
4. If you have to transport a whole carcass away from the kill site, take or send the deboned carcass, spinal column and head to your county landfill for disposal, once you have deboned the carcass at your place of processing. Don't carelessly discard this material where other deer and scavengers can contact it. Careless discarding of a cervid skeleton could potentially start a CWD hotspot in your area.
5. Keep the permit with the meat.
For more information about CWD, visit the CWD Alliance website at http://cwd-info.org/.
CWD Regulations for Kansas and Other States Click HERE for information concerning CWD Regulations for Resident and Non-Resident Hunters
Links to more information about Chronic Wasting Disease: National Wildlife Health Center (USGS) has links to current research and popular articles such as “The Quiet Spread of CWD” which appeared in Field & Stream.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about CWD and humans.
Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance has links to state regulations regarding CWD carcass
American Veterinary Medical Association has information about precautions hunters and anyone who spends time outdoors should take to protect themselves from potential risks.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease In Kansas Deer: 2018-2019 Update
PRATT – In a continuing effort to monitor the prevalence and spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Kansas deer, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has collected and tested samples from 360 deer so far this year. Thirty-seven of those samples were confirmed positive. The targeted region for sampling deer taken by hunters this year was southwestern Kansas. However, sick or suspect deer observed in other parts of the state were also tested, and KDWPT recommends that hunters who take deer in counties where CWD is known to occur have their deer tested, as well.
The 37 confirmed positives came from deer taken in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Thomas, Sheridan, Gove, Rooks, Osborne, Scott, Lane, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Ford, Edwards, Stafford, Reno, and Pratt counties. While most positives are still coming from northwest Kansas, new counties were added to the list this year, including several that show the disease’s spread to the south and east – Haskell, Edwards, Pratt, Osborne, and Reno.
Testing History
CWD infects members of the deer family, including whitetail and mule deer, elk and moose. CWD testing in Kansas began in 1996 to help track the occurrence of the disease in the state’s wild deer, and more than 28,000 tissue samples have undergone lab analysis since. The first CWD occurrence documented in a wild Kansas deer was a whitetail doe killed by a hunter in 2005 in Cheyenne County. To date, 216 deer have tested positive, and most have occurred in a region that includes Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties.
snip...
https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/News/News-Archive/2019-Weekly-News/2-22-19-CWD-Update/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-In-Kansas-Deer-2018-2019-Update
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update With 216 cervids Positive To Date
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2019/10/kansas-chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse.html
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2018
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update 143 Confirmed Cases To Date
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2018/10/kansas-chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse.html
Texas Poachers Busted in Historic Kansas Sting After Slaughter of 119 Monster Bucks
An outlaw ring poached giant bucks and allegedly stole trophy semen in one of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history.
Chris Bennett
By Chris Bennett
Updated September 23, 2025 06:57 AM
LEAD BUTLER BROTHERS.jpg James, left, and Marlin Butler were at the helm of one of the most consequential poaching rings on U.S. record—16,600” of illegal antlers.(Photos courtesy of B.J. Thurman) Hack off a head of magnificent antlers. Slice away a scrotum of trophy semen. Roll the carcass onto its snowy belly to conceal the crime. High-five. Make bank. Fly away in a jet. Do it again.
One of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history unfolded in the pastureland and crop rows of southwest Kansas with the poaching of at least 119 giant bucks, representing a minimum of 16,600” of horn, a mind-boggling quarter-mile stretch.
Who was killing the monsters of Kansas? Who triggered one of the wildest conservation busts on record?
“The sickest bunch of outlaws I’ve ever come across,” says retired game warden Tracy Galvin. “They came up here out of Texas and Louisiana, and raped our deer country.”
Sugar and Vinegar
In the rolling red gypsum hills and dagger-leafed yucca of Comanche County, a stone’s throw from the staggered flow of the Cimmaron River, with the nearest backup officer a lonely two-and-a-half hours distant, Galvin knelt beside a barrel-chested, headless deer. No shell casing, no tire tracks, and no physical evidence beyond the decapitated beast. Just Galvin and a mutilated buck in the back of beyond.
It was November 2003, and although illegal kills were part-and-parcel of the 25-year veteran’s world, the dead whitetail pricked his intuition. Random poacher? Hell no.
UHAUL BEGINS TO FILL WITH ANTLERS.jpg Kansas game wardens needed a U-Haul to carry home a freakish trove of antlers seized in Texas.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“There were several bucks killed in that time frame that struck me as connected,” he recalls. “But sometimes you just watch and wait for a tip, leak, or mistake.”
Comanche County, part of Kansas’ renowned Unit 16 hunting section, was loaded with groceries and cover for whitetails: Forested drainage, arid buttes contrasted by an abundance of irrigated crops, and 790 square miles of big spaces dotted by less than 2,000 people. The county also housed plenty of magnets for outlaws in the form of the biggest bucks in the Jayhawk universe. However, snagging a permit in cream-of-the-crop Unit 16 was highly competitive, especially for non-resident hunters.
The following year, in 2004, at his home office in the county seat of Coldwater, during the opening of archery season, Galvin fielded a phone call from a local farmer describing odd activity the night before: rifle shots and headlights.
Clad in green Wrangler jeans and gray shirt, with a .45 caliber Glock 21 on his hip, Galvin climbed into a full-size, four-door Dodge pickup and rumbled up US 183, with game warden B.J. Thurman riding shotgun. Responsible for a massive four-county expanse (Grant, Morton, Stanton, and Stevens) due west, plain-talking Thurman fit the classic mold of lawman. As a duo, Galvin and Thurman had remarkable presence—Galvin carrying a 300 lb. frame and Thurman solidly stacked over 6’1”, decked in boots and cowboy hat.
GALVIN AND THURMAN.jpg Tracy Galvin, left, pictured with a cougar taken by a landowner in 2007, alongside plain-talking B.J. Thurman, right.(Photo by KDWP)
Arriving at the property location described in the farmer’s call-in, Galvin and Thurman eyeballed seven men, rifles in plain sight, gathered outside a temporary hunting camp.
Doling out sugar, rather than vinegar, Galvin and Thurman offered handshakes. The small group of men, most in their 30s and wearing tell-all grins, introduced themselves as humble visitors from Shelby County, Texas—600 miles southeast of Coldwater. Outwardly, they presented as a respectable hunting crew clad in camo holding non-resident archery permits, i.e., honorable outdoorsmen. In reality, outlaws.
The leader? James Bobby Butler, 35, of Center, Texas. “He was really friendly. Too friendly,” Galvin remembers. “He was super talkative. Too talkative. My radar was going off the charts. The more he spoke, the more suspicious I got.”
“We didn’t know it right then, but Butler had numerous criminal charges and convictions ranging from drugs to money laundering to gambling to wildlife offenses,” Thurman notes.
Soaking in the campsite’s incongruities, Galvin asked if the party knew anything about gunshots the previous evening.
Yes, that was us. We shot a wild pig last night. Nasty critters. Tear up jack. Thank you for asking. “Sure as s***, they showed us a fresh hog they’d killed,” Thurman describes, his words flavored by a southwest drawl. “No. No. No. We weren’t buying it. We were close to the well-known Hashknife Ranch and some seriously big deer, and these guys were roaming all over Comanche County and surrounding counties. We knew something bad was going on because the entire setup felt crooked as hell.”
POACHER TREE.jpg B.J. Thurman’s conspiracy tree used in Operation Cimarron to identify and link suspects.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Sincerely. Galvin and Thurman had just rubbed the edges of the most consequential poaching slaughter on Kansas record and one of the most significant busts in U.S. history.
“Burying and burning antlers, sneaking deer on airplanes, cutting off balls, moving drugs, and so much more,” Galvin exclaims. “All in the name of greed.”
Poaching Incorporated
Over the next two years, Galvin noted a consistent location shift by the Texas hunters. “They moved around in different spots of our area, and every now and then, a local would say something to us about strange things going on. But we had no probable cause—yet.”
KANSAS DEER UNITS.jpg Obtaining a permit in premium Unit 16 was highly competitive, especially for non-resident hunters.(Photo by KDWP)
However, in roughly 2005, Butler and company dropped an anchor 5 miles southwest of Coldwater, establishing a hunting post on eight purchased acres composed of three trailers, several sheds, and an elevated bin, all fronted by a pole flying the Texas flag: Camp Lone Star.
Visiting hunters to Camp Lone Star flew in by private jet to Comanche County Airport, hopped in a Chevy Blazer parked permanently at the airstrip, and rumbled to the makeshift hunting base—reversing the process for the trip home. Butler paid big coin for farmland and pastureland leases, keeping Kansas landowners tickled pink. Yet, despite the gleam of cash on the barrelhead, people knew.
“Stories were everywhere,” Galvin notes. “We didn’t know specifically what James Butler was up to or where he was connected, but we sure as hell were digging.”
CAMP LONE STAR 1.jpg Camp Lone Star, aka Poaching Incorporated.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Poaching Incorporated was in session. Camp Lone Star turned Comanche County and its monster bucks into Grand Central Station for out-of-state hunters. “It’s important to realize this was all happening in Unit 16, where there was a limited draw on deer permits,” Thurman details. “I’m talking very, very competitive to get a tag, but Butler meanwhile was flying guys in steady on a King Air jet. He had something bigger than the Titanic going down behind the scenes.”
During the opening of muzzleloading season in October 2005, Galvin and Thurman, along with a host of other conservation officers, worked the Oklahoma-Kansas line, running a dragnet to snag Okie outlaws sneaking onto Jayhawk land. Following the border vigil, returning to Coldwater, Galvin suggested a slight detour: a courtesy stop at Camp Lone Star.
Pulling onto the property, the game wardens immediately eyeballed in-the-act violations. Two men, toting a bloodied cooler, were on the edge of an adjacent field, and in the main yard, a buck dangled on a skinning rack.
Officer Brian Hanzlik, with K-9 partner, Alley, at his side, snapped into action. “Brian was that guy,” Galvin says. “Always ready and he could handle anything. His dog caught the scent and went right into the field where two of the guys had just dumped a doe.”
JAMES BOBBY BUTLER FB.jpg James Bobby Butler initially was sentenced to 41 months in prison.(Photo public domain, Facebook)
Galvin inspected the hanging buck and found no tag: “One of these camp guys piped up and said, ‘That buck was shot by a lady from Louisiana and she’s inside the trailer. She’ll sign the tag.’”
“Huh? Hell no,” Galvin says. “They had an unsigned tag, but it was too late. I seized the buck. We’d only been there for minutes, but it was obvious: Regardless of what they were up to, they were a pack of liars.”
While Galvin issued tickets, Butler ran cover, claiming his Lone Star group was “a bunch of old deer hunting buddies,” who pooled money and leased ground.
“Who is the woman? Who is the guy with the woman?” Galvin asked.
“I’m not sure,” Butler answered. “I think they’re from Louisiana, but I don’t even know them.”
Clear as mud.
“Butler was all over the place,” Galvin recalls. “In one sentence, he told me they were all great friends. The next sentence, he denied knowledge of who he was hunting with.”
Lies, half-lies, and all points in between, the particulars of Butler’s unraveling story were of secondary concern. More importantly, Galvin and Thurman had just obtained a steaming pile of probable cause. Gung-ho to follow Butler’s hot trail, the pair of wardens didn’t yet realize the stakes: They had a tiger by the tail.
Word was already out: Come to Kansas and get a monster.
Horror Show Operation Cimarron, the coordinated sting of Butler’s poaching ring, went into high gear in November 2007. Lying in a depression at field’s edge adjacent to Camp Lone Star, Galvin, Thurman, Hanzlik, and other wardens began taking stakeout posts under cover of darkness, attempting to record license plate numbers and activity. Spooky as hellfire.
“We’d be there all night sometimes, just trying to catch a hint,” Galvin explains. “Their vehicle lights would cross you, and you’d breathe deep, wondering if you were exposed. There was a time or two when they sensed movement or something, because they threw spotlights over us, searching for anything out of place.”
CAMP LONE STAR 2.jpg There was more hidden behind the Camp Lone Star curtain than massive antlers. “Catching these guys became kind of like piecing together mob activity to track who was doing what,” says Thurman.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“We’d be watching from the other side of a fence,” Thurman concurs, “and they’d start spotlighting right outta the trailers, and we’d have nothing to hide behind except sagebrush. A spotlight going over your freaking head shined by bad guys with rifles is pretty damn uncomfortable.”
Meanwhile, Butler was leasing more land. Big ground: Box Ranch, Huck Ranch, Oasis 7 Ranch, and several smaller properties—over 50,000 acres. And the jet at Comanche County Airport was eating plenty of fuel hauling hunting guests. Bottom line: Galvin and Thurman needed more than stakeouts.
KING AIR POACHERS.jpg The King Air jet: “Burying and burning antlers, sneaking deer on airplanes, cutting off balls, moving drugs, and so much more,” Galvin exclaims.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Thurman reached for a friend with a bigger badge. He called a USFWS agent and detailed the suspected poaching ring situation. In came the feds. The agent tapped a DEA contact in Colorado and obtained the loan of a high-end, digital surveillance camera capable of zoom and pan. In November 2008, technology in hand, Galvin and Thurman hid the camera in plain sight.
How? Under the guise of standard maintenance work. A local co-op crew “repaired” the electric pole directly outside Camp Lone Star. Wearing a hard hat and disguised in blue collar gear, a federal agent placed the camera inside a fake transformer atop the pole.
“It all looked so real that a couple of the Texas boys walked out while the work was going on and started a casual conversation,” Thurman describes. “They never had a clue. This was the first time in conservation investigation history that this particular camera was used and it was awesome.”
PANORAMA ANTLERS.jpg Part of the Butler’s antler haul after seizure by Kansas officials.(Photo by KDWP)
The camera was the ultimate Trojan horse. Instantly, Galvin and Thurman had remote access to watch all movement around, in, and out of Camp Lone Star. A horror show in high def.
“Later, we would document them killing 119 deer at an average Boone & Crockett score of 159,” Thurman says. “At least 70 major trophy deer. One of the deer we later seized was a 185” 8-point. We learned that one of Butler’s poaching customers had first shot a 203” buck, and when he walked out to get it, the giant 8-point stood up—and he shot it too. They killed at such volume that it was becoming hard to find a true monster.”
There was more hidden behind the Camp Lone Star curtain than massive antlers. “They were stealing more than horns,” Thurman continues. “Catching these guys became kind of like piecing together mob activity to track who was doing what. That camera revealed a damn roadmap of crime.”
Extraction of Semen
As suspected, Butler was ringmaster. From deep East Texas, Butler managed High Roller Whitetails, a fenced deer farm in Center, a 17-mile jump from the Louisiana line. Without a guide license, Butler was flying scores of Texas and Louisiana clients to Camp Lone Star and charging $2,500 for archery hunts and $5,000-plus for firearm hunts.
MB Nacogdoches County Jail.jpg Marlin Butler (dec’d) initially was sentenced to 27 months in prison.(Photo by Nacogdoches County)
“If you flew up and killed three deer, that could be $15,000 in one go for Butler,” Thurman says. “And these clients made return trips.”
Butler’s younger brother, Marlin, 32, rode shotgun, receiving $500 per week as guide, tips from customers, and free hunting access.
“Marlin Butler (dec’d 2024), just like his brother, James, was a rough customer. Marlin had previous criminal charges from weapons to aggravated assault to resisting arrest to impersonating a public servant,” Thurman says.
Why did the Butler brothers choose Comanche County? Chickens and slots.
“I had always wondered how poaching rats located each other,” Galvin says. “In this case, we found out Butler had once been in prison for cock fighting. A local in our area, Huey Gray, was in the same prison for running illegal slot machines. They met in lockup and Huey told Butler all about our big deer. Butler came to take a look for himself and saw dollar signs.”
Behind Butler, Galvin suspected, was deep-pocketed Terry Bailey, a resident of Center and owner of High Roller Whitetails. “The Butler brothers handled the hunts, but we suspected Bailey was the money man who paid for the leases and owned the jet everyone flew on,” Galvin posits. “We were never able to prove Bailey had done anything illegal. He died (dec’d 2017) in a helicopter crash a few years later.”
“The Butlers came here at first to poach,” Galvin continues, “but then got into filming with a guy named Matt Moore, who had a hunting television show, Closing the Distance; and then came guiding; and then we believe came genetics and deer theft.”
To cloak illegal hunts, the Lone Star cabal used fall turkey permits, landowner permits, Unit 10 tags in Unit 16, doe tags, and a host of other false fronts. If checked in the field, Butler and company had the veneer of legitimacy. Essentially, a permit of any type was a master key to monsters.
“These dirtbags were going into nursing homes, paying old people $100 to put in for a permit, and then using it for their out-of-staters,” Galvin says. “It was beyond nuts.”
GALVIN THURMAN HANZLIK.jpg From left: Tracy Galvin, B.J. Thurman, and Brian Hanzlik—all integral components of Operation Cimarron.(Photo courtesy of KDWP)
“They left no stone unturned when it came to violating deer hunting regs,” subsequently described USFWS Special Agent John Brooks.
“They had people hunting without permits, exceeding bag limits, hunting the wrong units, shooting deer with illegal weapons for the season, they trespassed, used spotlights, shot deer from roads, just cut the heads off and left the meat to rot. I don’t know what they didn’t do.”
However, the level of disdain for conservation skyrocketed when Galvin began finding deer carcasses missing more than heads and racks. As in, bucks with scrotums removed. The implication: Extraction of semen.
“We suspected Butler and the Lone Star gang were flying testicles of monster deer to Texas to inseminate their pen-raised herd,” Galvin explains.
“You gotta understand, that’s how wild this investigation was, and Butler knew to cover his tracks,” Thurman says. “He was wary. One time, he had a table at a show somewhere in Texas, selling hunts as an outfitter. Two feds showed up to book a hunt and Butler said, ‘No.’ He smelled them out. He always had his ears up.”
Galvin and Thurman needed a voice on the inside—an informant. They needed someone to get sour and jump the Camp Lone Star reservation. They needed the boy from Beaumont.
Kicking in Doors Entirely independent from Camp Lone Star, a legitimate out-of-state bowhunter from Beaumont, Texas, who frequented south Kansas, befriended Galvin. The denizen of Beaumont, who had an acquaintance at Lone Star, would frequently provide Galvin with rumor-mill updates on camp activity. Second-hand info shared over a pot of coffee.
Coincidentally, Galvin and several locals often hunted farmland a half mile from one of Butler’s leases. During the 2007 rifle season, one of Galvin’s hunting friends, a Coldwater native, wounded a deer, and he and Galvin obtained landowner permission to blood-trail the buck onto a plot of land adjoining Butler’s lease.
RISINGER AND BAILEY.jpg Johnny Risinger, left, and Terry Bailey, two links in the investigative web of Operation Cimarron.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Butler spotted Galvin—and mistakenly assumed a stakeout was in process.
“What a lucky break,” Galvin says. “He thought we were out in that field coming for him and went paranoid. Butler was convinced one of his own guys had screwed him. They had a big falling out and one guy got all the blame. That one guy, who was buddies with my friend from Beaumont, was ready to talk to me.”
Days later, Galvin and a federal agent drove to Texas and let the canary sing. “Holy s***. He told us they were moving drugs. He told us all about the poaching. He told us they knew all the tag numbers on our vehicles. He told us they were watching us. He told us they’d tranquilized does and transported them alive to Texas.”
“He told us Butler was convinced I was flying around watching them from above, and so they had rules in the field: Kill a deer, take the head, and roll the body on its belly to hide the white from any air searches. Rules to be followed.”
The Butlers had turned Comanche County into a poaching mecca. “It was unreal,” Thurman says. “Butler’s right hand man was Johnny Risinger, a taxidermist from Center, and he was camera man for Closing the Distance, the hunting show. Butler transported deer to Risinger for taxidermy work, and those trophy bucks—illegally taken from Kansas—were hanging all over East Texas, and some in Louisiana.”
Galvin and Thurman were ready to pull the legal trigger on the Camp Lone Star wildlife crimes. “This case had so many rabbit trails, but we had to focus on the poaching,” Galvin describes. “We knew there were drugs involved and we searched their Blazer parked at the airport. A K-9 drug dog hit all over the vehicle, but we steered clear of that pursuit because if the DEA got involved, the drug charges would wash out the wildlife charges.”
By 2008, monster deer, once abundant in Comanche County, were getting hard to find. The Camp Lone Star shtick was wearing thin. “Even though Butler was still dumping money here, ranchers and farmers had finally had enough,” Galvin says. “Butler was making enemies.”
Despite video footage, eyewitness testimony, 159 names linked on a spreadsheet, and over 2,000 pages of documentation, Kansas authorities balked at prosecution. “They wouldn’t commit even though we had tons of evidence,” Thurman says. “But when Kansas declined, the feds said, ‘We’re in.’ Basically, our Kansas bosses got their hands forced. Suddenly, it was finally on. We had this s*** pinned down.”
Time to kick in doors.
The Brag Wall In April 2009, 45 officers converged for a takedown in Center, Texas. Under Thurman’s direction, 15 Kansans, 20 Texans, and 20 feds covertly set up a command post outside of town in a house with a profile tree of photos, charges, and relationships pinned on the wall—in the manner of the mafia.
BUTLER BROS HEADSHOTS.jpg The brothers Butler Camp Lone Star turned Comanche County and its monster bucks into Grand Central Station for out-of-state hunters.(Photos courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Thurman had created a Rosetta Stone of the entire Camp Lone Star affair. He meticulously compiled an exhaustive breakdown of each suspect’s activity and association, all cross-referenced and tabbed to note every individual’s appearance in the overall record. The report was a major feather in Thurman’s cap, with the template later borrowed by the feds to peel the onion in other investigations.
Nothing was left to chance. In synchronized raids across three states, Thurman’s teams deployed in Texas, Kansas (Camp Lone Star in Coldwater), and Louisiana (Lake Charles and Monroe), hitting houses, sporting goods stores, and bars. “We seized mount after mount, and they didn’t even protest,” Thurman says. “They knew they were guilty.”
Once in motion, the law enforcement blitz was fierce: “It was intense as all hell,” Galvin says. “You’d pull up to a stoplight in Center and see two game warden trucks racing one way, and a third going another way. It was on.”
READYING RACKS FOR UHAUL.jpg KDWP wardens prepare mounts for transport to from Texas to Kansas.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Carrying Thurman’s report for reference, three-man interview squads—Kansan, Texan, and fed—were deployed for each suspect, ensuring the right mix of piss and honey. “It was pretty damn wild,” Thurman recalls. “At 9 a.m., we hit the first 10 suspects, and then the second 10, and so on, in tiers.”
On the first day alone, 40 deer were confiscated.
As word of the conservation sting shot across Shelby County, Butler’s cohorts went into panic mode, burying antlers in the woods, dumping horns in ponds, and burning racks in pits.
Each hit was surreal, none more so than the bust at Center Municipal Airport, conducted by KDWP Officer Brian Hanzlik and Texas Officer Ellis Powell of Lone Star Law television fame. The duo spotted Bailey’s jet taxiing on the airport runway and made a do-or-die stop. Powell raced down the tarmac and pulled in front of the aircraft, forcing the pilot, Brandon Sapp, to stop the aircraft.
“Ellis stopped right in front of the jet and Brian hauled out the pilot,” Galvin describes. “They laid him out on the runway, and he was in the crouched position, bawling his eyes out, fessing up to killing 11 deer. We wanted to seize the jet, but we never able to prove Bailey’s direct involvement.”
However, when officers searched Butler’s home (owned by Bailey), Galvin witnessed a moment of reckoning. “I was guarding out front while officers went in with a search warrant and suddenly Bailey pulls up in a pickup. He headed for the house, and I stuck my hand out to shake his hand, looked him in the eye, and said, ‘My name is Tracy Galvin. I’m a game warden from Kansas. Coldwater.’”
“It froze him. He got this faraway look and just kept shaking my hand over and over, and repeating, ‘Colllllllllllldwater. Collllllllllldwater. I believe it was a moment of realization and he couldn’t hide his gut reaction.”
GOING HOME WITH HAUL.jpg KDWP officers during the loading of mounts and racks in Texas. Galvin is seated center; Thurman is seated right.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
All told, KDWP officers seized 133 mounts, averaging 160”. Anticipating a significant jumble of confiscated antlers, Galvin and Thurman had pulled a utility trailer to Center for the trip home. No dice. Too many horns. They had to rent a U-Haul to accommodate the trove.
“It was a moment of satisfaction,” Galvin describes. “Some of these guys were about to go to jail. But at the same time, looking at the truck filled with antlers made me sick to my stomach. These guys had total contempt for conservation. If given enough time, they’d have killed every big buck in our state.”
Back in Coldwater, the KDWP raid at Camp Lone Star added a pile of additional evidence. Butler’s brag wall told a tale. “Every frickin big buck they killed had a picture hanging,” Thurman details. “They were so proud of dropping our deer average from the 160”-170” range to the 140” range. All for money and greed.”
Poachers for Life
In March 2011, James Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, one substantive Lacey Act count, and one count of obstruction of justice. Marlin Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one Lacey Act count.
Forty-one months in prison for James Butler and 27 months in prison for Marlin Butler, in addition to fines, restitution, and prohibitions from hunting and guiding activity. However, the siblings appealed, and a judge reduced the original sentences to 10 months and 8 months. Twenty-five of their associates also were prosecuted.
PRESS CONFERENCE.jpg Conservation officers announce the conclusion of Operation Cimarron. Thurman stands second from right.(Photo by KDWP)
Operation Cimarron, a six-year (three years of intense scrutiny, 2007-2009) poaching investigation, documented 120 federal felonies (beyond those lost to the statute of limitations), hundreds of state violations, 16,600” of illegal antlers, $500,000 traced to Camp Lone Star, 40 years of suspended licenses, multiple lifetime hunting bans, $80,500 in fines, $110,000 in restitution, and 119 mounts forfeited.
The groundbreaking case, from camera technology to the paperwork system used to track activity, permanently changed hunting violation investigations in Kansas and beyond.
“The judge let them off light,” Galvin, 75, says, “but this was the most worthwhile investigation of my career. It had to be done because what they were doing was intolerable. There were others involved we couldn’t get, and there was money we couldn’t trace, but this work was done to ensure nobody else tries something anywhere close to what Butler and his people did. B.J. Thurman and I were just doing our job, and we were only two guys among many making sure the bad guys went down. We were part of one big team across multiple agencies with so many people helping.”
Because Galvin and Thurman refused to spit the bit in the Camp Lone Star case, their tenacity ensured Kansas now has a trophy statute that puts a monetary value on deer and defines methodology to determine that value. “If this same stunt happens today, the poachers will do 10-15 years in jail,” Thurman says.
TEAM OF KANSAS WARDENS.jpg Part of the haul seized from the Butler brothers’ poaching ring. Thurman (second row, yellow shirt, cowboy hat) and Galvin (standing on Thurman’s right) bulldogged the Butlers and refused to let go of the case. “Don’t come to Kansas to poach,” Galvin says. “Stay the hell away.” (Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“Think about what they did: Wholesale slaughter,” Thurman, 65, concludes. “These were the most reckless and lowest form of poachers. They were in the process of killing almost every monster deer in our area. It was devastating to our population and herd genetics.”
Poachers for life? Absolutely, Galvin emphasizes. “Doesn’t matter if you prosecute, those individuals never stop. You can slow them down, but they’re in for life. However, you do everything you can to expose and prosecute as a deterrent, because the message gets out to others and the next generation: Don’t come to Kansas to poach. Stay the hell away.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
https://www.agweb.com/news/business/farmland/texas-poachers-busted-historic-kansas-sting-after-slaughter-119-monster-bu
“An outlaw ring poached giant bucks and allegedly stole trophy semen in one of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history.”
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
CWD TSE Prion, Politics, Friendly Fire, Unforeseen Consequences, What If?
CWD results take about 1 month after samples are received when the lab is busy. When the lab is not as busy during the start of deer season, testing typically takes 2 weeks. It is highly recommended that venison be frozen for at least 30 days before cooking or dehydrating to to help kill any parasites that may be present.
About Negative Results: Based on current transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) research and pathogenesis studies, it is is possible to have protease-resistant prion protein present at levels below the sensitivity of this test. It may also be present in tissue other than those that were sampled. This analysis was performed and validated using scrapie positive brain or lymph node tissues as controls.
ANIMAL ID RESULT
K028895 Negative
K029191 Positive
K1016594 Positive
K028724 Negative
K1001017 Positive
K1006459 Positive
K1000540 Positive
K1009979 Negative
K1009966 Positive
K1009982 Negative
K1009967 Positive
K1008901 Negative
K1008902 Negative
K1009990 Negative
Otto Negative Cooper Negative D26-077726-1 Negative
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-testing-results#results
The first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in 2001.
As of June 2026, CWD has been detected in 1,440 deer and elk in Kansas, including 2 captive elk, 1 captive mule deer, 1 wild, free-ranging elk, and 1,436 wild, free-ranging deer.
All five surveillance zones in Kansas now have confirmed CWD detections. Since monitoring began in 1996, 37,625 deer and elk have been sampled and tested for CWD…
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease
statewide sampling and free CWD testing
https://www.ksoutdoors.gov/programs-services/controlling-wildlife-diseases/deer-chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-testing-results
Kansas
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
article Front. Vet. Sci., 07 July 2026 Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Volume 13 - 2026 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1827624
The direction and rate of spread of chronic wasting disease
Arun Suresh Arun Suresh 1 Z Zoe Shanley 1 S Shane Hesting 2 L Levi Jaster 2 A Akila Raghavan 3 Ram K. Raghavan Ram K. Raghavan 3,4,5* 1. Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 2. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Emporia, KS, United States 3. Department of Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 4. Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States 5. MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States Abstract
Introduction: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible prion disease of cervids that continues to expand across North America. Although the spatiotemporal distribution of CWD in the central United States has been extensively documented, the direction and rate of disease spread remain poorly understood, limiting the implementation of proactive surveillance and mitigation strategies.
Methods: We developed a data-driven spatiotemporal modeling framework to quantify the direction and rate of CWD spread across Kansas using surveillance data collected between 2005 and 2023. Kansas was partitioned into 20 km2 spatial grid cells, and disease dynamics within each cell were modeled using a system of differential equations representing susceptible, infected, and environmental compartments. Spatial migration processes were incorporated through a stochastic mixing matrix informed by empirically observed patterns of first infection among neighboring cells. Model parameters were optimized through a grid search of plausible values derived from published literature, and predictive performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. To characterize spread dynamics, we applied a weighted centroid approach at the zonal scale and a migration-based vector flow analysis at the local scale.
Results: The model successfully reproduced the observed spatiotemporal progression of CWD across Kansas with high predictive accuracy (mean AUC = 0.88). Zonal analyses revealed a predominant northwest-to-southeast progression of infection, with substantial regional heterogeneity in both direction and velocity of spread. Local vector-flow analyses identified multiple transmission corridors and persistent hotspots that may function as regional sources of infection dissemination. Rates of spread quantified at both zonal and local scales corroborated the directional trends observed in the flow analyses and highlighted areas characterized by elevated transmission intensity and migratory spread. Importantly, the model demonstrated strong forecasting capability by anticipating emerging areas of infection prior to their confirmation through surveillance.
Discussion: By integrating mechanistic disease dynamics with empirically informed migration processes, our framework provides a quantitative characterization of both the direction and rate of CWD spread at two spatial scales. These findings offer actionable insights for wildlife disease management by supporting targeted surveillance, boundary monitoring, and region-specific intervention strategies.
snip…
Surveillance data indicate steady expansion of disease from the northwestern region toward the southeast over time; the model reproduces this trend with high fidelity (Figure 5).
In addition to accurately reproducing observed patterns, the model demonstrates clear predictive capacity. In the south-central zone (Figure 5), it forecasted an infection hotspot along Kansas's southern border 2 years prior to official detection in 2020. Similarly, mild infection activity predicted in the eastern corridor in 2019 was later confirmed through field observations in 2021. These forward-looking examples underscore the model's predictive strength.
The boundaries of infectious mass for observed and predicted infection intensities (number of infected cervids in a given cell) across Kansas are illustrated in Figure 6. Examination of their evolution reveals two persistent clusters: one originating in the northwest and another along the southern border. These clusters remain separated by a diagonal, infection-free corridor evident in both simulated and observed data. This configuration suggests that CWD spread in Kansas is more complex than a single northwest-to-southeast migratory front. Instead, the evidence supports bifurcated spread along two distinct pathways: one extending southward and southeastward from the northwestern and north-central regions, and another emerging independently along the southern border. Although the northwest-to-southcentral migration is substantial, zonal movement estimates indicate that the northwestern zone itself exhibits limited net displacement (1.60 km/year overall), reinforcing its role as a persistent source region rather than a rapidly advancing front. In contrast, the south-central zone demonstrates substantially greater centroid movement (6.40 km/year overall), consistent with interaction between the northwestern and southern-border transmission strands. This southern-border strand was not identified in prior occupational or spatiotemporal modeling studies using the same dataset (3, 4).
Additional support for this dual-front pattern comes from zonal weighted centroid shifts (Figures 7a, b) and cell-level analyses (Figure 9). In the south-central zone, centroids initially shifted southeast (2018–2019), likely responding to new detections at the southern border. As this new southern strand migrated eastward, centroid movement reoriented toward the central regions of the zone reflecting the southward expansion of the northwestern front. The magnitude of this movement is reflected in the strong horizontal (−3.79 km/year) and vertical (+5.15 km/year) displacement components observed in this zone. In the eastern zone, centroids shifted sharply southwestward, with large horizontal (−6.04 km/year) and vertical (−8.80 km/year) components yielding the highest overall displacement estimate (10.68 km/year). However, as discussed below, these high rates likely reflect limited sampling density rather than sustained directional expansion. Cell-level plots (Figure 9) further confirm the elevated eastward spread along the southern border alongside sustained expansion of the northwestern cluster. Together, these findings indicate that CWD spread in the south-central and eastern regions is driven by two transmission pathways.
The southern incursion may have resulted from movement of migrating cervids in northern Oklahoma, possibly via the Osage National Reserve, or from improper disposal of infected carcasses transported from northwestern Kansas. Both possibilities warrant further investigation, as clarifying localized movement patterns could inform targeted prevention and control strategies.
Beyond the south-central dynamics, clear patterns also emerge in the northwestern and north-central regions. Infection centroids in the northwestern zone remain concentrated near Decatur and Sheridan Counties (Table 3; Figure 7b), aligning with the highest observed and simulated infection intensities statewide (Figure 5). Zonal spread rates indicate minimal internal movement in this region (horizontal 1.07 km/year; vertical −1.17 km/year), consistent with persistent hotspots from 2017–2022. In contrast, the north-central zone shows moderate net displacement (3.19 km/year overall), primarily driven by eastward movement (3.19 km/year). Internal KDWP and USDA reports suggest CWD in Decatur County may have originated from an infected elk herd later unaccounted for, potentially accelerating long-term establishment given the high transmissibility of elk prions to white-tailed deer. Cell-level analyses (Figure 9) indicate these hotspots likely function as sources, seeding adjacent areas and contributing to southeastward spread. Notably, six of the seven cells with the highest infection rates (Table 6) in the northwestern zone correspond to Sheridan and Rawlins counties, bordering Decatur County and southern Nebraska.
Local analyses (Figure 9, Supplemental File 1) reveal consistent southward movement along the northern border and eastward movement along the western border, suggesting possible dual incursion into Kansas from southern Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Supporting this, CWD has been documented in unit 13 of southern Nebraska bordering northwestern Kansas, and in northeastern Colorado as of 2022, also bordering the northwestern zone (25, 26). Concurrently, migration rates in the north-central zone show northward flow into Nebraska from Smith and Phillips counties at approximately 6 km every 2 months, suggesting bidirectional transmission across state lines. Monitoring this corridor could strengthen management efforts.
In the southwestern zone, zonal analyses indicate gradual westward shift (horizontal −2.36 km/year) with relatively limited vertical displacement, yielding a moderate overall rate (2.55 km/year). Despite this, infection has not yet reached the far southwestern boundary. Spread rates here remain among the lowest of the affected zones. Targeted check stations along the slow-moving infection boundary (Figure 6) could facilitate early detection and mitigation. In contrast, although the eastern zone exhibits the highest centroid displacement estimate, cell-level rates suggest local migration remains slow, supporting the interpretation that zonal velocity estimates may be inflated by sparse sampling. Expanded surveillance would likely improve movement estimates in this region.
Despite the strengths of this framework, limitations remain. Chief among them is the absence of environmental and explicit host-factor (age, sex) inputs, which are known to influence deer movement and disease dynamics. Incorporating habitat-level land cover, land use, soil, and elevation data would likely improve the representation of the rate and direction of CWD spread. Our prior work has identified the influence of land cover, soil, and elevation on CWD in the state. Future extensions should dynamically integrate these environmental and host-factor variables at appropriate spatial scales to enable more comprehensive modeling of disease progression.
5 Conclusion This study delivers a quantitative, multi-scale characterization of the rate and direction of CWD spread across Kansas. By uniting mechanistic disease dynamics with empirically informed migration, the framework reveals dual-front propagation, identifies persistent sources and high-flux corridors, and provides potential early-warning signals of emerging hotspots. In systems where conventional interventions are limited, such spatially explicit, predictive tools are critical for designing targeted surveillance, prioritizing management actions, and mitigating the continued expansion of chronic wasting disease.
Statements Data availability statement The data used in this publication can be made available for reasonable use in research by the author at the discretion of University of Missouri and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2026.1827624/full
***> Kansas a bit of CWD History
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
Kansas As of 30 June 2022, CWD has been detected in 738 cervids, including 2 captive elk, 1 captive mule deer
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2022/09/kansas-as-of-30-june-2022-cwd-has-been.html
Kansas, As of 30 June 2020, CWD has been detected in 363 cervids - two captive elk and 361 wild, free-ranging deer in Deer Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18.
These include 82 mule deer, 274 white-tailed deer, 2 captive elk, and 5 unknown deer species.
2020-2021 CWD Sampling Information
The first case of CWD was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in 2001.
As of 30 June 2020, CWD has been detected in 363 cervids - two captive elk and 361 wild, free-ranging deer in Deer Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18.
These include 82 mule deer, 274 white-tailed deer, 2 captive elk, and 5 unknown deer species.
Surveillance efforts began in 1996 and, to date, 27,863 cervids have been sampled and tested for CWD.
Hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts can avoid the human-assisted spread of CWD by not transporting a live or dead deer or elk from areas where CWD occurs. HUNTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE ELECTRONIC DEER CHECK-IN OR LEAVE EVIDENCE OF SEX ATTACHED TO THE CARCASS.
BONE-OUT DEER, AND LEAVE CARCASSES IN THE COUNTIES WHERE DEER ARE TAKEN. MOVING CARCASSES MOVES PRIONS AND CWD TO NEW LOCATIONS!
There is currently no known treatment or eradication method for CWD, so preventing the introduction of the the disease into new areas is of utmost importance to the health of local deer herds. Baiting and feeding deer tend to concentrate deer at small point on the landscape, often with the trails leading to the feeding sites resembling the wheel spokes of a bicycle. Anytime animals are concentrated at this type of "hub," the likelihood of disease transmission increases in a deer herd. More alarming, the transferring of CWD prions to healthy deer is not the only concern. Diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot rot, and fungal infections; and a host of detrimental parasites, including exotic lice, flukes, mange mites, lungworms, and barberpole worms are transmitted more efficiently when deer are concentrated in a small area, especially around feeding stations. Think of future generations of hunters and do your best to lower wildlife disease transmission risk.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
2020-2021 CWD Test Results (Results Added As Tests Are Completed)
Animal ID Test Result K031197 Negative
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
After the 2015-2016 seasons, prevalence was calculated to be between 10-20% with 95% confidence in bucks 2.5 years-old and older in the Northwest Zone. After 2019-2020 CWD surveillance, prevalence in the Northwest Zone was calculated to be 34.1 - 49.5% with 95% confidence in bucks 2.5 years-old and older. Currently, the overall trend is increasing prevalence and eastward spread.
Another major concern is the potential of CWD spreading from captive cervid farms into the wild cervid population. Once a disease gets into a wild population, it is virtually impossible eradicate. KDWPT recommends that every captive cervid operator enroll in the voluntary CWD monitoring program administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Division. The sooner diseases such as CWD can be detected in captives, the sooner control efforts can begin and possibly prevent disease from spreading to wild populations of the state. CWD is only one of many diseases that could go undetected in an unmonitored captive cervid herd. Bovine tuberculosis and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), for example, are serious diseases that could seriously damage not only populations of deer and an annual 350 million-dollar hunting economy, but could also threaten the 6 billion-dollar Kansas cattle industry via quarantines, loss of accreditation, and loss of global export.
2020-2021 CWD SAMPLING INFORMATION
IMPORTANT: Help Control the Spread of CWD and CWD Prions in Kansas!!
1. Use Electronic Deer Check-In or Leave Evidence of Sex Attached to the Carcass.
2. Remove the musculature (deboning) from the carcass and leave the carcass at the kill site. Make sure to complete Step 1 first.
3. If at all possible, do not transport a carcass from counties known to have CWD (see map above) to other counties. Use electronic deer check-in: https://programs.ksoutdoors.com/Programs/Electronic-Deer-Check-in
4. If you have to transport a whole carcass away from the kill site, take or send the deboned carcass, spinal column and head to your county landfill for disposal, once you have deboned the carcass at your place of processing. Don't carelessly discard this material where other deer and scavengers can contact it. Careless discarding of a cervid skeleton could potentially start a CWD hotspot in your area.
5. Keep the permit with the meat.
For more information about CWD, visit the CWD Alliance website at http://cwd-info.org/.
CWD Regulations for Kansas and Other States Click HERE for information concerning CWD Regulations for Resident and Non-Resident Hunters
Links to more information about Chronic Wasting Disease: National Wildlife Health Center (USGS) has links to current research and popular articles such as “The Quiet Spread of CWD” which appeared in Field & Stream.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about CWD and humans.
Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance has links to state regulations regarding CWD carcass
American Veterinary Medical Association has information about precautions hunters and anyone who spends time outdoors should take to protect themselves from potential risks.
https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease In Kansas Deer: 2018-2019 Update
PRATT – In a continuing effort to monitor the prevalence and spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Kansas deer, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has collected and tested samples from 360 deer so far this year. Thirty-seven of those samples were confirmed positive. The targeted region for sampling deer taken by hunters this year was southwestern Kansas. However, sick or suspect deer observed in other parts of the state were also tested, and KDWPT recommends that hunters who take deer in counties where CWD is known to occur have their deer tested, as well.
The 37 confirmed positives came from deer taken in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Thomas, Sheridan, Gove, Rooks, Osborne, Scott, Lane, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Ford, Edwards, Stafford, Reno, and Pratt counties. While most positives are still coming from northwest Kansas, new counties were added to the list this year, including several that show the disease’s spread to the south and east – Haskell, Edwards, Pratt, Osborne, and Reno.
Testing History
CWD infects members of the deer family, including whitetail and mule deer, elk and moose. CWD testing in Kansas began in 1996 to help track the occurrence of the disease in the state’s wild deer, and more than 28,000 tissue samples have undergone lab analysis since. The first CWD occurrence documented in a wild Kansas deer was a whitetail doe killed by a hunter in 2005 in Cheyenne County. To date, 216 deer have tested positive, and most have occurred in a region that includes Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties.
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https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/News/News-Archive/2019-Weekly-News/2-22-19-CWD-Update/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-In-Kansas-Deer-2018-2019-Update
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update With 216 cervids Positive To Date
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2019/10/kansas-chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse.html
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2018
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update 143 Confirmed Cases To Date
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2018/10/kansas-chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse.html
Texas Poachers Busted in Historic Kansas Sting After Slaughter of 119 Monster Bucks
An outlaw ring poached giant bucks and allegedly stole trophy semen in one of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history.
Chris Bennett
By Chris Bennett
Updated September 23, 2025 06:57 AM
LEAD BUTLER BROTHERS.jpg James, left, and Marlin Butler were at the helm of one of the most consequential poaching rings on U.S. record—16,600” of illegal antlers.(Photos courtesy of B.J. Thurman) Hack off a head of magnificent antlers. Slice away a scrotum of trophy semen. Roll the carcass onto its snowy belly to conceal the crime. High-five. Make bank. Fly away in a jet. Do it again.
One of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history unfolded in the pastureland and crop rows of southwest Kansas with the poaching of at least 119 giant bucks, representing a minimum of 16,600” of horn, a mind-boggling quarter-mile stretch.
Who was killing the monsters of Kansas? Who triggered one of the wildest conservation busts on record?
“The sickest bunch of outlaws I’ve ever come across,” says retired game warden Tracy Galvin. “They came up here out of Texas and Louisiana, and raped our deer country.”
Sugar and Vinegar
In the rolling red gypsum hills and dagger-leafed yucca of Comanche County, a stone’s throw from the staggered flow of the Cimmaron River, with the nearest backup officer a lonely two-and-a-half hours distant, Galvin knelt beside a barrel-chested, headless deer. No shell casing, no tire tracks, and no physical evidence beyond the decapitated beast. Just Galvin and a mutilated buck in the back of beyond.
It was November 2003, and although illegal kills were part-and-parcel of the 25-year veteran’s world, the dead whitetail pricked his intuition. Random poacher? Hell no.
UHAUL BEGINS TO FILL WITH ANTLERS.jpg Kansas game wardens needed a U-Haul to carry home a freakish trove of antlers seized in Texas.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“There were several bucks killed in that time frame that struck me as connected,” he recalls. “But sometimes you just watch and wait for a tip, leak, or mistake.”
Comanche County, part of Kansas’ renowned Unit 16 hunting section, was loaded with groceries and cover for whitetails: Forested drainage, arid buttes contrasted by an abundance of irrigated crops, and 790 square miles of big spaces dotted by less than 2,000 people. The county also housed plenty of magnets for outlaws in the form of the biggest bucks in the Jayhawk universe. However, snagging a permit in cream-of-the-crop Unit 16 was highly competitive, especially for non-resident hunters.
The following year, in 2004, at his home office in the county seat of Coldwater, during the opening of archery season, Galvin fielded a phone call from a local farmer describing odd activity the night before: rifle shots and headlights.
Clad in green Wrangler jeans and gray shirt, with a .45 caliber Glock 21 on his hip, Galvin climbed into a full-size, four-door Dodge pickup and rumbled up US 183, with game warden B.J. Thurman riding shotgun. Responsible for a massive four-county expanse (Grant, Morton, Stanton, and Stevens) due west, plain-talking Thurman fit the classic mold of lawman. As a duo, Galvin and Thurman had remarkable presence—Galvin carrying a 300 lb. frame and Thurman solidly stacked over 6’1”, decked in boots and cowboy hat.
GALVIN AND THURMAN.jpg Tracy Galvin, left, pictured with a cougar taken by a landowner in 2007, alongside plain-talking B.J. Thurman, right.(Photo by KDWP)
Arriving at the property location described in the farmer’s call-in, Galvin and Thurman eyeballed seven men, rifles in plain sight, gathered outside a temporary hunting camp.
Doling out sugar, rather than vinegar, Galvin and Thurman offered handshakes. The small group of men, most in their 30s and wearing tell-all grins, introduced themselves as humble visitors from Shelby County, Texas—600 miles southeast of Coldwater. Outwardly, they presented as a respectable hunting crew clad in camo holding non-resident archery permits, i.e., honorable outdoorsmen. In reality, outlaws.
The leader? James Bobby Butler, 35, of Center, Texas. “He was really friendly. Too friendly,” Galvin remembers. “He was super talkative. Too talkative. My radar was going off the charts. The more he spoke, the more suspicious I got.”
“We didn’t know it right then, but Butler had numerous criminal charges and convictions ranging from drugs to money laundering to gambling to wildlife offenses,” Thurman notes.
Soaking in the campsite’s incongruities, Galvin asked if the party knew anything about gunshots the previous evening.
Yes, that was us. We shot a wild pig last night. Nasty critters. Tear up jack. Thank you for asking. “Sure as s***, they showed us a fresh hog they’d killed,” Thurman describes, his words flavored by a southwest drawl. “No. No. No. We weren’t buying it. We were close to the well-known Hashknife Ranch and some seriously big deer, and these guys were roaming all over Comanche County and surrounding counties. We knew something bad was going on because the entire setup felt crooked as hell.”
POACHER TREE.jpg B.J. Thurman’s conspiracy tree used in Operation Cimarron to identify and link suspects.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Sincerely. Galvin and Thurman had just rubbed the edges of the most consequential poaching slaughter on Kansas record and one of the most significant busts in U.S. history.
“Burying and burning antlers, sneaking deer on airplanes, cutting off balls, moving drugs, and so much more,” Galvin exclaims. “All in the name of greed.”
Poaching Incorporated
Over the next two years, Galvin noted a consistent location shift by the Texas hunters. “They moved around in different spots of our area, and every now and then, a local would say something to us about strange things going on. But we had no probable cause—yet.”
KANSAS DEER UNITS.jpg Obtaining a permit in premium Unit 16 was highly competitive, especially for non-resident hunters.(Photo by KDWP)
However, in roughly 2005, Butler and company dropped an anchor 5 miles southwest of Coldwater, establishing a hunting post on eight purchased acres composed of three trailers, several sheds, and an elevated bin, all fronted by a pole flying the Texas flag: Camp Lone Star.
Visiting hunters to Camp Lone Star flew in by private jet to Comanche County Airport, hopped in a Chevy Blazer parked permanently at the airstrip, and rumbled to the makeshift hunting base—reversing the process for the trip home. Butler paid big coin for farmland and pastureland leases, keeping Kansas landowners tickled pink. Yet, despite the gleam of cash on the barrelhead, people knew.
“Stories were everywhere,” Galvin notes. “We didn’t know specifically what James Butler was up to or where he was connected, but we sure as hell were digging.”
CAMP LONE STAR 1.jpg Camp Lone Star, aka Poaching Incorporated.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Poaching Incorporated was in session. Camp Lone Star turned Comanche County and its monster bucks into Grand Central Station for out-of-state hunters. “It’s important to realize this was all happening in Unit 16, where there was a limited draw on deer permits,” Thurman details. “I’m talking very, very competitive to get a tag, but Butler meanwhile was flying guys in steady on a King Air jet. He had something bigger than the Titanic going down behind the scenes.”
During the opening of muzzleloading season in October 2005, Galvin and Thurman, along with a host of other conservation officers, worked the Oklahoma-Kansas line, running a dragnet to snag Okie outlaws sneaking onto Jayhawk land. Following the border vigil, returning to Coldwater, Galvin suggested a slight detour: a courtesy stop at Camp Lone Star.
Pulling onto the property, the game wardens immediately eyeballed in-the-act violations. Two men, toting a bloodied cooler, were on the edge of an adjacent field, and in the main yard, a buck dangled on a skinning rack.
Officer Brian Hanzlik, with K-9 partner, Alley, at his side, snapped into action. “Brian was that guy,” Galvin says. “Always ready and he could handle anything. His dog caught the scent and went right into the field where two of the guys had just dumped a doe.”
JAMES BOBBY BUTLER FB.jpg James Bobby Butler initially was sentenced to 41 months in prison.(Photo public domain, Facebook)
Galvin inspected the hanging buck and found no tag: “One of these camp guys piped up and said, ‘That buck was shot by a lady from Louisiana and she’s inside the trailer. She’ll sign the tag.’”
“Huh? Hell no,” Galvin says. “They had an unsigned tag, but it was too late. I seized the buck. We’d only been there for minutes, but it was obvious: Regardless of what they were up to, they were a pack of liars.”
While Galvin issued tickets, Butler ran cover, claiming his Lone Star group was “a bunch of old deer hunting buddies,” who pooled money and leased ground.
“Who is the woman? Who is the guy with the woman?” Galvin asked.
“I’m not sure,” Butler answered. “I think they’re from Louisiana, but I don’t even know them.”
Clear as mud.
“Butler was all over the place,” Galvin recalls. “In one sentence, he told me they were all great friends. The next sentence, he denied knowledge of who he was hunting with.”
Lies, half-lies, and all points in between, the particulars of Butler’s unraveling story were of secondary concern. More importantly, Galvin and Thurman had just obtained a steaming pile of probable cause. Gung-ho to follow Butler’s hot trail, the pair of wardens didn’t yet realize the stakes: They had a tiger by the tail.
Word was already out: Come to Kansas and get a monster.
Horror Show Operation Cimarron, the coordinated sting of Butler’s poaching ring, went into high gear in November 2007. Lying in a depression at field’s edge adjacent to Camp Lone Star, Galvin, Thurman, Hanzlik, and other wardens began taking stakeout posts under cover of darkness, attempting to record license plate numbers and activity. Spooky as hellfire.
“We’d be there all night sometimes, just trying to catch a hint,” Galvin explains. “Their vehicle lights would cross you, and you’d breathe deep, wondering if you were exposed. There was a time or two when they sensed movement or something, because they threw spotlights over us, searching for anything out of place.”
CAMP LONE STAR 2.jpg There was more hidden behind the Camp Lone Star curtain than massive antlers. “Catching these guys became kind of like piecing together mob activity to track who was doing what,” says Thurman.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“We’d be watching from the other side of a fence,” Thurman concurs, “and they’d start spotlighting right outta the trailers, and we’d have nothing to hide behind except sagebrush. A spotlight going over your freaking head shined by bad guys with rifles is pretty damn uncomfortable.”
Meanwhile, Butler was leasing more land. Big ground: Box Ranch, Huck Ranch, Oasis 7 Ranch, and several smaller properties—over 50,000 acres. And the jet at Comanche County Airport was eating plenty of fuel hauling hunting guests. Bottom line: Galvin and Thurman needed more than stakeouts.
KING AIR POACHERS.jpg The King Air jet: “Burying and burning antlers, sneaking deer on airplanes, cutting off balls, moving drugs, and so much more,” Galvin exclaims.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Thurman reached for a friend with a bigger badge. He called a USFWS agent and detailed the suspected poaching ring situation. In came the feds. The agent tapped a DEA contact in Colorado and obtained the loan of a high-end, digital surveillance camera capable of zoom and pan. In November 2008, technology in hand, Galvin and Thurman hid the camera in plain sight.
How? Under the guise of standard maintenance work. A local co-op crew “repaired” the electric pole directly outside Camp Lone Star. Wearing a hard hat and disguised in blue collar gear, a federal agent placed the camera inside a fake transformer atop the pole.
“It all looked so real that a couple of the Texas boys walked out while the work was going on and started a casual conversation,” Thurman describes. “They never had a clue. This was the first time in conservation investigation history that this particular camera was used and it was awesome.”
PANORAMA ANTLERS.jpg Part of the Butler’s antler haul after seizure by Kansas officials.(Photo by KDWP)
The camera was the ultimate Trojan horse. Instantly, Galvin and Thurman had remote access to watch all movement around, in, and out of Camp Lone Star. A horror show in high def.
“Later, we would document them killing 119 deer at an average Boone & Crockett score of 159,” Thurman says. “At least 70 major trophy deer. One of the deer we later seized was a 185” 8-point. We learned that one of Butler’s poaching customers had first shot a 203” buck, and when he walked out to get it, the giant 8-point stood up—and he shot it too. They killed at such volume that it was becoming hard to find a true monster.”
There was more hidden behind the Camp Lone Star curtain than massive antlers. “They were stealing more than horns,” Thurman continues. “Catching these guys became kind of like piecing together mob activity to track who was doing what. That camera revealed a damn roadmap of crime.”
Extraction of Semen
As suspected, Butler was ringmaster. From deep East Texas, Butler managed High Roller Whitetails, a fenced deer farm in Center, a 17-mile jump from the Louisiana line. Without a guide license, Butler was flying scores of Texas and Louisiana clients to Camp Lone Star and charging $2,500 for archery hunts and $5,000-plus for firearm hunts.
MB Nacogdoches County Jail.jpg Marlin Butler (dec’d) initially was sentenced to 27 months in prison.(Photo by Nacogdoches County)
“If you flew up and killed three deer, that could be $15,000 in one go for Butler,” Thurman says. “And these clients made return trips.”
Butler’s younger brother, Marlin, 32, rode shotgun, receiving $500 per week as guide, tips from customers, and free hunting access.
“Marlin Butler (dec’d 2024), just like his brother, James, was a rough customer. Marlin had previous criminal charges from weapons to aggravated assault to resisting arrest to impersonating a public servant,” Thurman says.
Why did the Butler brothers choose Comanche County? Chickens and slots.
“I had always wondered how poaching rats located each other,” Galvin says. “In this case, we found out Butler had once been in prison for cock fighting. A local in our area, Huey Gray, was in the same prison for running illegal slot machines. They met in lockup and Huey told Butler all about our big deer. Butler came to take a look for himself and saw dollar signs.”
Behind Butler, Galvin suspected, was deep-pocketed Terry Bailey, a resident of Center and owner of High Roller Whitetails. “The Butler brothers handled the hunts, but we suspected Bailey was the money man who paid for the leases and owned the jet everyone flew on,” Galvin posits. “We were never able to prove Bailey had done anything illegal. He died (dec’d 2017) in a helicopter crash a few years later.”
“The Butlers came here at first to poach,” Galvin continues, “but then got into filming with a guy named Matt Moore, who had a hunting television show, Closing the Distance; and then came guiding; and then we believe came genetics and deer theft.”
To cloak illegal hunts, the Lone Star cabal used fall turkey permits, landowner permits, Unit 10 tags in Unit 16, doe tags, and a host of other false fronts. If checked in the field, Butler and company had the veneer of legitimacy. Essentially, a permit of any type was a master key to monsters.
“These dirtbags were going into nursing homes, paying old people $100 to put in for a permit, and then using it for their out-of-staters,” Galvin says. “It was beyond nuts.”
GALVIN THURMAN HANZLIK.jpg From left: Tracy Galvin, B.J. Thurman, and Brian Hanzlik—all integral components of Operation Cimarron.(Photo courtesy of KDWP)
“They left no stone unturned when it came to violating deer hunting regs,” subsequently described USFWS Special Agent John Brooks.
“They had people hunting without permits, exceeding bag limits, hunting the wrong units, shooting deer with illegal weapons for the season, they trespassed, used spotlights, shot deer from roads, just cut the heads off and left the meat to rot. I don’t know what they didn’t do.”
However, the level of disdain for conservation skyrocketed when Galvin began finding deer carcasses missing more than heads and racks. As in, bucks with scrotums removed. The implication: Extraction of semen.
“We suspected Butler and the Lone Star gang were flying testicles of monster deer to Texas to inseminate their pen-raised herd,” Galvin explains.
“You gotta understand, that’s how wild this investigation was, and Butler knew to cover his tracks,” Thurman says. “He was wary. One time, he had a table at a show somewhere in Texas, selling hunts as an outfitter. Two feds showed up to book a hunt and Butler said, ‘No.’ He smelled them out. He always had his ears up.”
Galvin and Thurman needed a voice on the inside—an informant. They needed someone to get sour and jump the Camp Lone Star reservation. They needed the boy from Beaumont.
Kicking in Doors Entirely independent from Camp Lone Star, a legitimate out-of-state bowhunter from Beaumont, Texas, who frequented south Kansas, befriended Galvin. The denizen of Beaumont, who had an acquaintance at Lone Star, would frequently provide Galvin with rumor-mill updates on camp activity. Second-hand info shared over a pot of coffee.
Coincidentally, Galvin and several locals often hunted farmland a half mile from one of Butler’s leases. During the 2007 rifle season, one of Galvin’s hunting friends, a Coldwater native, wounded a deer, and he and Galvin obtained landowner permission to blood-trail the buck onto a plot of land adjoining Butler’s lease.
RISINGER AND BAILEY.jpg Johnny Risinger, left, and Terry Bailey, two links in the investigative web of Operation Cimarron.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Butler spotted Galvin—and mistakenly assumed a stakeout was in process.
“What a lucky break,” Galvin says. “He thought we were out in that field coming for him and went paranoid. Butler was convinced one of his own guys had screwed him. They had a big falling out and one guy got all the blame. That one guy, who was buddies with my friend from Beaumont, was ready to talk to me.”
Days later, Galvin and a federal agent drove to Texas and let the canary sing. “Holy s***. He told us they were moving drugs. He told us all about the poaching. He told us they knew all the tag numbers on our vehicles. He told us they were watching us. He told us they’d tranquilized does and transported them alive to Texas.”
“He told us Butler was convinced I was flying around watching them from above, and so they had rules in the field: Kill a deer, take the head, and roll the body on its belly to hide the white from any air searches. Rules to be followed.”
The Butlers had turned Comanche County into a poaching mecca. “It was unreal,” Thurman says. “Butler’s right hand man was Johnny Risinger, a taxidermist from Center, and he was camera man for Closing the Distance, the hunting show. Butler transported deer to Risinger for taxidermy work, and those trophy bucks—illegally taken from Kansas—were hanging all over East Texas, and some in Louisiana.”
Galvin and Thurman were ready to pull the legal trigger on the Camp Lone Star wildlife crimes. “This case had so many rabbit trails, but we had to focus on the poaching,” Galvin describes. “We knew there were drugs involved and we searched their Blazer parked at the airport. A K-9 drug dog hit all over the vehicle, but we steered clear of that pursuit because if the DEA got involved, the drug charges would wash out the wildlife charges.”
By 2008, monster deer, once abundant in Comanche County, were getting hard to find. The Camp Lone Star shtick was wearing thin. “Even though Butler was still dumping money here, ranchers and farmers had finally had enough,” Galvin says. “Butler was making enemies.”
Despite video footage, eyewitness testimony, 159 names linked on a spreadsheet, and over 2,000 pages of documentation, Kansas authorities balked at prosecution. “They wouldn’t commit even though we had tons of evidence,” Thurman says. “But when Kansas declined, the feds said, ‘We’re in.’ Basically, our Kansas bosses got their hands forced. Suddenly, it was finally on. We had this s*** pinned down.”
Time to kick in doors.
The Brag Wall In April 2009, 45 officers converged for a takedown in Center, Texas. Under Thurman’s direction, 15 Kansans, 20 Texans, and 20 feds covertly set up a command post outside of town in a house with a profile tree of photos, charges, and relationships pinned on the wall—in the manner of the mafia.
BUTLER BROS HEADSHOTS.jpg The brothers Butler Camp Lone Star turned Comanche County and its monster bucks into Grand Central Station for out-of-state hunters.(Photos courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Thurman had created a Rosetta Stone of the entire Camp Lone Star affair. He meticulously compiled an exhaustive breakdown of each suspect’s activity and association, all cross-referenced and tabbed to note every individual’s appearance in the overall record. The report was a major feather in Thurman’s cap, with the template later borrowed by the feds to peel the onion in other investigations.
Nothing was left to chance. In synchronized raids across three states, Thurman’s teams deployed in Texas, Kansas (Camp Lone Star in Coldwater), and Louisiana (Lake Charles and Monroe), hitting houses, sporting goods stores, and bars. “We seized mount after mount, and they didn’t even protest,” Thurman says. “They knew they were guilty.”
Once in motion, the law enforcement blitz was fierce: “It was intense as all hell,” Galvin says. “You’d pull up to a stoplight in Center and see two game warden trucks racing one way, and a third going another way. It was on.”
READYING RACKS FOR UHAUL.jpg KDWP wardens prepare mounts for transport to from Texas to Kansas.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
Carrying Thurman’s report for reference, three-man interview squads—Kansan, Texan, and fed—were deployed for each suspect, ensuring the right mix of piss and honey. “It was pretty damn wild,” Thurman recalls. “At 9 a.m., we hit the first 10 suspects, and then the second 10, and so on, in tiers.”
On the first day alone, 40 deer were confiscated.
As word of the conservation sting shot across Shelby County, Butler’s cohorts went into panic mode, burying antlers in the woods, dumping horns in ponds, and burning racks in pits.
Each hit was surreal, none more so than the bust at Center Municipal Airport, conducted by KDWP Officer Brian Hanzlik and Texas Officer Ellis Powell of Lone Star Law television fame. The duo spotted Bailey’s jet taxiing on the airport runway and made a do-or-die stop. Powell raced down the tarmac and pulled in front of the aircraft, forcing the pilot, Brandon Sapp, to stop the aircraft.
“Ellis stopped right in front of the jet and Brian hauled out the pilot,” Galvin describes. “They laid him out on the runway, and he was in the crouched position, bawling his eyes out, fessing up to killing 11 deer. We wanted to seize the jet, but we never able to prove Bailey’s direct involvement.”
However, when officers searched Butler’s home (owned by Bailey), Galvin witnessed a moment of reckoning. “I was guarding out front while officers went in with a search warrant and suddenly Bailey pulls up in a pickup. He headed for the house, and I stuck my hand out to shake his hand, looked him in the eye, and said, ‘My name is Tracy Galvin. I’m a game warden from Kansas. Coldwater.’”
“It froze him. He got this faraway look and just kept shaking my hand over and over, and repeating, ‘Colllllllllllldwater. Collllllllllldwater. I believe it was a moment of realization and he couldn’t hide his gut reaction.”
GOING HOME WITH HAUL.jpg KDWP officers during the loading of mounts and racks in Texas. Galvin is seated center; Thurman is seated right.(Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
All told, KDWP officers seized 133 mounts, averaging 160”. Anticipating a significant jumble of confiscated antlers, Galvin and Thurman had pulled a utility trailer to Center for the trip home. No dice. Too many horns. They had to rent a U-Haul to accommodate the trove.
“It was a moment of satisfaction,” Galvin describes. “Some of these guys were about to go to jail. But at the same time, looking at the truck filled with antlers made me sick to my stomach. These guys had total contempt for conservation. If given enough time, they’d have killed every big buck in our state.”
Back in Coldwater, the KDWP raid at Camp Lone Star added a pile of additional evidence. Butler’s brag wall told a tale. “Every frickin big buck they killed had a picture hanging,” Thurman details. “They were so proud of dropping our deer average from the 160”-170” range to the 140” range. All for money and greed.”
Poachers for Life
In March 2011, James Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, one substantive Lacey Act count, and one count of obstruction of justice. Marlin Butler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one Lacey Act count.
Forty-one months in prison for James Butler and 27 months in prison for Marlin Butler, in addition to fines, restitution, and prohibitions from hunting and guiding activity. However, the siblings appealed, and a judge reduced the original sentences to 10 months and 8 months. Twenty-five of their associates also were prosecuted.
PRESS CONFERENCE.jpg Conservation officers announce the conclusion of Operation Cimarron. Thurman stands second from right.(Photo by KDWP)
Operation Cimarron, a six-year (three years of intense scrutiny, 2007-2009) poaching investigation, documented 120 federal felonies (beyond those lost to the statute of limitations), hundreds of state violations, 16,600” of illegal antlers, $500,000 traced to Camp Lone Star, 40 years of suspended licenses, multiple lifetime hunting bans, $80,500 in fines, $110,000 in restitution, and 119 mounts forfeited.
The groundbreaking case, from camera technology to the paperwork system used to track activity, permanently changed hunting violation investigations in Kansas and beyond.
“The judge let them off light,” Galvin, 75, says, “but this was the most worthwhile investigation of my career. It had to be done because what they were doing was intolerable. There were others involved we couldn’t get, and there was money we couldn’t trace, but this work was done to ensure nobody else tries something anywhere close to what Butler and his people did. B.J. Thurman and I were just doing our job, and we were only two guys among many making sure the bad guys went down. We were part of one big team across multiple agencies with so many people helping.”
Because Galvin and Thurman refused to spit the bit in the Camp Lone Star case, their tenacity ensured Kansas now has a trophy statute that puts a monetary value on deer and defines methodology to determine that value. “If this same stunt happens today, the poachers will do 10-15 years in jail,” Thurman says.
TEAM OF KANSAS WARDENS.jpg Part of the haul seized from the Butler brothers’ poaching ring. Thurman (second row, yellow shirt, cowboy hat) and Galvin (standing on Thurman’s right) bulldogged the Butlers and refused to let go of the case. “Don’t come to Kansas to poach,” Galvin says. “Stay the hell away.” (Photo courtesy of B.J. Thurman)
“Think about what they did: Wholesale slaughter,” Thurman, 65, concludes. “These were the most reckless and lowest form of poachers. They were in the process of killing almost every monster deer in our area. It was devastating to our population and herd genetics.”
Poachers for life? Absolutely, Galvin emphasizes. “Doesn’t matter if you prosecute, those individuals never stop. You can slow them down, but they’re in for life. However, you do everything you can to expose and prosecute as a deterrent, because the message gets out to others and the next generation: Don’t come to Kansas to poach. Stay the hell away.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
https://www.agweb.com/news/business/farmland/texas-poachers-busted-historic-kansas-sting-after-slaughter-119-monster-bu
“An outlaw ring poached giant bucks and allegedly stole trophy semen in one of the most astounding illegal hunting cases in U.S. history.”
remember that!
Jerking for Dollars and CWD, what if?$
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025
CWD TSE Prion, Politics, Friendly Fire, Unforeseen Consequences, What If?
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2026
Texas 5th Captive Herd Depopulated This Year Due To Positive CWD TSE Prion
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/texas-5th-captive-herd-depopulated-this.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/242/texas-captive-deer-herd-depopulated
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion of Cervid Alert
***> i’m thinking environmental contamination from cwd, the fact the tse prion can survive in the environment, soil, from 15, 16, to 21 years, what about Real Estate Property Values over time?
we know now from laboratory scientific, transmission studies, CWD, TSE, Prion, will transmit, by oral routes to, Cattle, Pigs; Sheep, Cervid, and Primates. i can still remember, from early BSE days, very frightening stuff.
I remember what “deep throat” told me about Scrapie back around 2001, during early days of my BSE investigation, after my Mom died from hvCJD, I never forgot, and it seems it’s come to pass;
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
THE CWD TSE Prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen.
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s around 1112 degrees farenheit.
You cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat. In fact new data now shows that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done
and so it seems…2026
CWD, So, this is what we leave our children and grandchildren?
cwd, environmental factors, soil saturation of cwd PrP over time, and growing vegetables, hay, straw, or anything, if plants can uptake the cwd PrP, and then, what about, surrounding environmental cwd factors, water, what about real estate and property values, over time, what if?
Detection of chronic wasting disease prions in the farm soil of the Republic of Korea
Here, we show that prion seeding activity was detected in extracts from farm soil following 4 years of incubation with CWD-infected brain homogenate.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00866-24
=====***>
"Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation."
=====***>
Detection of prions in soils contaminated by multiple routes
Results: We are able to detect prion seeding activity at multiple types of environmental hotspots, including carcass sites, contaminated captive facilities, and scrapes (i.e. urine and saliva). Differences in relative prion concentration vary depending on the nature and source of the contamination. Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation.
Conclusions: Detection of prions in the environment is of the utmost importance for controlling chronic wasting disease spread. Here, we have demonstrated a viable method for detection of prions in complex environmental matrices. However, it is quite likely that this method underestimates the total infectious prion load in a contaminated sample, due to incomplete recovery of infectious prions. Further refinements are necessary for accurate quantification of prions in such samples, and to account for the intrinsic heterogeneities found in the broader environment.
Funded by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Prion 2023 Conference Abstracts
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
Artificial mineral sites that pre-date endemic chronic wasting disease become prion hotspots
The detection of PrPCWD in soils at attractant sites within an endemic CWD zone significantly advances our understanding of environmental PrPCWD accumulation dynamics, providing valuable information for advancing adaptive CWD management approaches.
https://int-cwd-sympo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82011-0
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease. snip...
This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapie positive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1136/vr.105054
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30602491/
and so it seems…
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site and nursing facility, and instruments used in surveillance activities
Available online 9 April 2025
Highlights
• CWD prions were identified in a taxidermy and deer nursing facility.
• Contaminated samples included waters, soils, dermestid beetles, domestic flies and a dumpster.
• Surgical instruments used to collect deer samples can get contaminated with CWD prions.
• Some of the infectious particles are readily released from surgical instruments when washed.
• Our results suggest that taxidermy practices actively contribute in the spreading of CWD.
Snip…
In summary, the information provided in this report demonstrate how anthropogenic activities, specifically taxidermy practices, animal processing, and rehabilitation of CWD susceptible species, may facilitate CWD transmission through the environmental dissemination of CWD prions. This study, along with future research efforts characterizing the overall level of infectivity, provides relevant information on managing CWD and to control its rapid geographic expansion. …
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969725009544
Chronic wasting disease detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site
Results: The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in some of the components of this facility, including insects involved in head processing, soils, and a trash dumpster.
Conclusions: Different areas of this property were used for various taxidermy procedures. We were able to detect the presence of prions in
i) soils that were in contact with the heads of dead animals, ii) insects involved in the cleaning of skulls, and iii) an empty dumpster where animal carcasses were previously placed.
This is the first report demonstrating that swabbing is a helpful method to screen for prion infectivity on surfaces potentially contaminated with CWD. These findings are relevant as this swabbing and amplification strategy may be used to evaluate the disease status of other free-ranging and captive settings where there is a concern for CWD transmissions, such as at feeders and water troughs with CWD-exposed properties. This approach could have substantial implications for free-ranging cervid surveillance as well as in epidemiological investigations of CWD.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Artificial mineral sites that pre-date endemic chronic wasting disease become prion hotspots
The Ames Research and Educational Center property, centrally located within the CWD zone of southwest Tennessee, contains 49 historical mineral supplementation sites that were decommissioned in 2012. Here, we demonstrate that 32 of the 49 (65%) mineral sites within Ames established prior to the regional CWD outbreak, serve as foci of environmental PrPCWD contamination. Detection of PrPCWD in soils from these artificial mineral sites was dependent on site-specific management efforts. Soil physical properties were very similar across sites and no correlation between PrPCWD detection and soil physical properties was found. The detection of PrPCWD in soils at attractant sites within an endemic CWD zone significantly advances our understanding of environmental PrPCWD accumulation dynamics, providing valuable information for advancing adaptive CWD management approaches.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf
Shedding of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Multiple Excreta Throughout Disease Course in White-tailed Deer
Conclusions: These studies demonstrate: (a) CWD prion excretion occurs throughout infection; (2) PRNP genotype (GG≫GS/NT) influences the excreta shedding; and (3) detection sensitivity in excreta can vary with different RT-QuIC protocols. These results provide a more complete perspective of prion shedding in deer during the course of CWD infection.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Authors Anu Wille, Diana L Karwan, Stuart Siegfried Lichtenberg, Madeline Grunklee, Gage Rowden, Victoria Ferguson-Kramer, Marc D Schwabenlander, Tiffany M Wolf, Peter A Larsen Publication date 2024/6 Journal Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24 Pages 110-04
Description Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns.
Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water.
Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils.
Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated.
To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and …
Scholar articles Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
A Wille, DL Karwan, SS Lichtenberg, M Grunklee… - Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24, 2024 Related articles
https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=cVqWACIAAAAJ&cstart=20&pagesize=80&citation_for_view=cVqWACIAAAAJ:0EnyYjriUFMC
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid.svg ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid.svg ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ;Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ;Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1502243
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ; Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ; Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
Abstract Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns. Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water. Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils. Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated. To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and watershed conditions. Our purpose is to characterize the hydrological transport of prions through watersheds at multiple scales. Through spatial analysis, we mapped surface flow pathways from CWD hotspots in Minnesota to identify how they overlap with major rivers and regions of high soil erosion. Based on in-stream measurements and sediment characterization, we used empirical equations to predict sediment mobilization conditions and transport rates in CWD-contaminated regions with diverse flow regimes. In order to model subsurface prion transport, we began conducting flow-through column experiments testing various flow rates and soil matrices.
Publication: Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24), held in St. Paul, Minnesota, 24-27 June 2024, Session: Learning from observations / Catchment and Critical Zone Science - Understanding Ecosystems through Monitoring, Analysis, and Experimentation III Oral (Coupled Workshop: 231), id. 110-04. Pub Date: June 2024
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent: Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of replication
http://www.pnas.org/content/97/7/3418.full
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2493038/
Rapid assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion inactivation by heat treatment in yellow grease produced in the industrial manufacturing process of meat and bone meals
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-6148-9-134.pdf
***> hay, straw, plants, vegetables, TSE Prion uptake
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Hazard identification for the risks to terrestrial animal health from the import of hay and straw, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw
***> CWD TSE Prion, Meats
CDC CWD TSE Prion Update 2025
KEY POINTS
Chronic wasting disease affects deer, elk and similar animals in the United States and a few other countries.
The disease hasn't been shown to infect people.
However, it might be a risk to people if they have contact with or eat meat from animals infected with CWD.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241203173112/https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-wasting/about/index.html
Prions in Muscles of Cervids with Chronic Wasting Disease, Norway
Volume 31, Number 2—February 2025
Research
Prions in Muscles of Cervids with Chronic Wasting Disease, Norway
Snip…
In summary, the results of our study indicate that prions are widely distributed in peripheral and edible tissues of cervids in Norway, including muscles. This finding highlights the risk of human exposure to small amounts of prions through handling and consuming infected cervids.
Appendix
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0903-app1.pdf
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0903_article
Volume 31, Number 2—February 2025
Dispatch
Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Raw, Processed, and Cooked Elk Meat, Texas, USA
Snip…
Of note, our data show that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification. Considering the potential implications in food safety and public health, we believe that the findings described in this study warrant further research. Our results suggest that although the elk meat used in this study resisted different manipulations involved in subsequent consumption by humans, their zoonotic potential was limited. Nevertheless, even though no cases of CWD transmission to human have been reported, the potential for human infection is still unclear and continued monitoring for zoonotic potential is warranted.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0906_article
Detection of chronic wasting disease prions in processed meats
Results: Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities. This data suggests that CWD-prions are available to people even after meats are processed and cooked.
Conclusions: These results suggest CWD prions are accessible to humans through meats, even after processing and cooking. Considering the fact that these samples were collected from already processed specimens, the availability of CWD prions to humans is probably underestimated.
"Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities."
Meeting-book-final-version prion 2023 Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
DETECTION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PRIONS IN PROCESSED MEATS.
In this study, we analyzed different processed meats derived from a pre-clinical, CWD-positive free-ranging elk. Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats. CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates. Our results show positive prion detection in all products. To confirm the resilience of CWD-prions to traditional cooking methods, we grilled and boiled the meat products and evaluated them for any remnant PMCA seeding activity. Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking. Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats.
CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates.
Our results show positive prion detection in all products.
Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking.
Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
Transmission of prion infectivity from CWD-infected macaque tissues to rodent models demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease.
Further passage to cervidized mice revealed transmission with a 100% attack rate.
Our findings demonstrate that macaques, considered the best model for the zoonotic potential of prions, were infected upon CWD challenge, including the oral one.
The disease manifested as atypical in macaques and initial transgenic mouse transmissions, but with infectivity present at all times, as unveiled in the bank vole model with an unusual tissue tropism.
Epidemiologic surveillance of prion disease among cervid hunters and people likely to have consumed venison contaminated with chronic wasting disease
=====
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
https://defrauktseprp.blogspot.com/2026/06/hazard-identification-for-risks-to.html
USA Report, Scrapie, CWD, BSE, TSE, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Cervid, Humans, Zoonotic, 2026
April 2026
https://fdabse589.blogspot.com/2026/04/usa-report-scrapie-cwd-bse-tse-cattle.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403956772_USA_Report_Scrapie_CWD_BSE_TSE_Cattle_Sheep_Pigs_Cervid_Humans_Zoonotic_2026
SUNDAY, AUGUST 09, 2026
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD and Population Declines of Cervid
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/08/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-and.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/229/cwd-prion-population-declines-cervid
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=336834
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/8/24-0007_article
cwd tse prion, cattle, pigs, sheep, primates, oh my!
Texas 5th Captive Herd Depopulated This Year Due To Positive CWD TSE Prion
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/texas-5th-captive-herd-depopulated-this.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/242/texas-captive-deer-herd-depopulated
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion of Cervid Alert
***> i’m thinking environmental contamination from cwd, the fact the tse prion can survive in the environment, soil, from 15, 16, to 21 years, what about Real Estate Property Values over time?
we know now from laboratory scientific, transmission studies, CWD, TSE, Prion, will transmit, by oral routes to, Cattle, Pigs; Sheep, Cervid, and Primates. i can still remember, from early BSE days, very frightening stuff.
I remember what “deep throat” told me about Scrapie back around 2001, during early days of my BSE investigation, after my Mom died from hvCJD, I never forgot, and it seems it’s come to pass;
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
THE CWD TSE Prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen.
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s around 1112 degrees farenheit.
You cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat. In fact new data now shows that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done
and so it seems…2026
CWD, So, this is what we leave our children and grandchildren?
cwd, environmental factors, soil saturation of cwd PrP over time, and growing vegetables, hay, straw, or anything, if plants can uptake the cwd PrP, and then, what about, surrounding environmental cwd factors, water, what about real estate and property values, over time, what if?
Detection of chronic wasting disease prions in the farm soil of the Republic of Korea
Here, we show that prion seeding activity was detected in extracts from farm soil following 4 years of incubation with CWD-infected brain homogenate.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00866-24
=====***>
"Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation."
=====***>
Detection of prions in soils contaminated by multiple routes
Results: We are able to detect prion seeding activity at multiple types of environmental hotspots, including carcass sites, contaminated captive facilities, and scrapes (i.e. urine and saliva). Differences in relative prion concentration vary depending on the nature and source of the contamination. Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation.
Conclusions: Detection of prions in the environment is of the utmost importance for controlling chronic wasting disease spread. Here, we have demonstrated a viable method for detection of prions in complex environmental matrices. However, it is quite likely that this method underestimates the total infectious prion load in a contaminated sample, due to incomplete recovery of infectious prions. Further refinements are necessary for accurate quantification of prions in such samples, and to account for the intrinsic heterogeneities found in the broader environment.
Funded by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Prion 2023 Conference Abstracts
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
Artificial mineral sites that pre-date endemic chronic wasting disease become prion hotspots
The detection of PrPCWD in soils at attractant sites within an endemic CWD zone significantly advances our understanding of environmental PrPCWD accumulation dynamics, providing valuable information for advancing adaptive CWD management approaches.
https://int-cwd-sympo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82011-0
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease. snip...
This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapie positive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1136/vr.105054
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30602491/
and so it seems…
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site and nursing facility, and instruments used in surveillance activities
Available online 9 April 2025
Highlights
• CWD prions were identified in a taxidermy and deer nursing facility.
• Contaminated samples included waters, soils, dermestid beetles, domestic flies and a dumpster.
• Surgical instruments used to collect deer samples can get contaminated with CWD prions.
• Some of the infectious particles are readily released from surgical instruments when washed.
• Our results suggest that taxidermy practices actively contribute in the spreading of CWD.
Snip…
In summary, the information provided in this report demonstrate how anthropogenic activities, specifically taxidermy practices, animal processing, and rehabilitation of CWD susceptible species, may facilitate CWD transmission through the environmental dissemination of CWD prions. This study, along with future research efforts characterizing the overall level of infectivity, provides relevant information on managing CWD and to control its rapid geographic expansion. …
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969725009544
Chronic wasting disease detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site
Results: The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in some of the components of this facility, including insects involved in head processing, soils, and a trash dumpster.
Conclusions: Different areas of this property were used for various taxidermy procedures. We were able to detect the presence of prions in
i) soils that were in contact with the heads of dead animals, ii) insects involved in the cleaning of skulls, and iii) an empty dumpster where animal carcasses were previously placed.
This is the first report demonstrating that swabbing is a helpful method to screen for prion infectivity on surfaces potentially contaminated with CWD. These findings are relevant as this swabbing and amplification strategy may be used to evaluate the disease status of other free-ranging and captive settings where there is a concern for CWD transmissions, such as at feeders and water troughs with CWD-exposed properties. This approach could have substantial implications for free-ranging cervid surveillance as well as in epidemiological investigations of CWD.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Artificial mineral sites that pre-date endemic chronic wasting disease become prion hotspots
The Ames Research and Educational Center property, centrally located within the CWD zone of southwest Tennessee, contains 49 historical mineral supplementation sites that were decommissioned in 2012. Here, we demonstrate that 32 of the 49 (65%) mineral sites within Ames established prior to the regional CWD outbreak, serve as foci of environmental PrPCWD contamination. Detection of PrPCWD in soils from these artificial mineral sites was dependent on site-specific management efforts. Soil physical properties were very similar across sites and no correlation between PrPCWD detection and soil physical properties was found. The detection of PrPCWD in soils at attractant sites within an endemic CWD zone significantly advances our understanding of environmental PrPCWD accumulation dynamics, providing valuable information for advancing adaptive CWD management approaches.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf
Shedding of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Multiple Excreta Throughout Disease Course in White-tailed Deer
Conclusions: These studies demonstrate: (a) CWD prion excretion occurs throughout infection; (2) PRNP genotype (GG≫GS/NT) influences the excreta shedding; and (3) detection sensitivity in excreta can vary with different RT-QuIC protocols. These results provide a more complete perspective of prion shedding in deer during the course of CWD infection.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Authors Anu Wille, Diana L Karwan, Stuart Siegfried Lichtenberg, Madeline Grunklee, Gage Rowden, Victoria Ferguson-Kramer, Marc D Schwabenlander, Tiffany M Wolf, Peter A Larsen Publication date 2024/6 Journal Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24 Pages 110-04
Description Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns.
Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water.
Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils.
Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated.
To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and …
Scholar articles Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
A Wille, DL Karwan, SS Lichtenberg, M Grunklee… - Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24, 2024 Related articles
https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=cVqWACIAAAAJ&cstart=20&pagesize=80&citation_for_view=cVqWACIAAAAJ:0EnyYjriUFMC
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid.svg ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid.svg ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ;Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ;Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1502243
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ; Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ; Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
Abstract Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns. Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water. Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils. Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated. To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and watershed conditions. Our purpose is to characterize the hydrological transport of prions through watersheds at multiple scales. Through spatial analysis, we mapped surface flow pathways from CWD hotspots in Minnesota to identify how they overlap with major rivers and regions of high soil erosion. Based on in-stream measurements and sediment characterization, we used empirical equations to predict sediment mobilization conditions and transport rates in CWD-contaminated regions with diverse flow regimes. In order to model subsurface prion transport, we began conducting flow-through column experiments testing various flow rates and soil matrices.
Publication: Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24), held in St. Paul, Minnesota, 24-27 June 2024, Session: Learning from observations / Catchment and Critical Zone Science - Understanding Ecosystems through Monitoring, Analysis, and Experimentation III Oral (Coupled Workshop: 231), id. 110-04. Pub Date: June 2024
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent: Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of replication
http://www.pnas.org/content/97/7/3418.full
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2493038/
Rapid assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion inactivation by heat treatment in yellow grease produced in the industrial manufacturing process of meat and bone meals
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-6148-9-134.pdf
***> hay, straw, plants, vegetables, TSE Prion uptake
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Hazard identification for the risks to terrestrial animal health from the import of hay and straw, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw
***> CWD TSE Prion, Meats
CDC CWD TSE Prion Update 2025
KEY POINTS
Chronic wasting disease affects deer, elk and similar animals in the United States and a few other countries.
The disease hasn't been shown to infect people.
However, it might be a risk to people if they have contact with or eat meat from animals infected with CWD.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241203173112/https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-wasting/about/index.html
Prions in Muscles of Cervids with Chronic Wasting Disease, Norway
Volume 31, Number 2—February 2025
Research
Prions in Muscles of Cervids with Chronic Wasting Disease, Norway
Snip…
In summary, the results of our study indicate that prions are widely distributed in peripheral and edible tissues of cervids in Norway, including muscles. This finding highlights the risk of human exposure to small amounts of prions through handling and consuming infected cervids.
Appendix
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0903-app1.pdf
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0903_article
Volume 31, Number 2—February 2025
Dispatch
Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Raw, Processed, and Cooked Elk Meat, Texas, USA
Snip…
Of note, our data show that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification. Considering the potential implications in food safety and public health, we believe that the findings described in this study warrant further research. Our results suggest that although the elk meat used in this study resisted different manipulations involved in subsequent consumption by humans, their zoonotic potential was limited. Nevertheless, even though no cases of CWD transmission to human have been reported, the potential for human infection is still unclear and continued monitoring for zoonotic potential is warranted.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0906_article
Detection of chronic wasting disease prions in processed meats
Results: Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities. This data suggests that CWD-prions are available to people even after meats are processed and cooked.
Conclusions: These results suggest CWD prions are accessible to humans through meats, even after processing and cooking. Considering the fact that these samples were collected from already processed specimens, the availability of CWD prions to humans is probably underestimated.
"Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities."
Meeting-book-final-version prion 2023 Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
DETECTION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PRIONS IN PROCESSED MEATS.
In this study, we analyzed different processed meats derived from a pre-clinical, CWD-positive free-ranging elk. Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats. CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates. Our results show positive prion detection in all products. To confirm the resilience of CWD-prions to traditional cooking methods, we grilled and boiled the meat products and evaluated them for any remnant PMCA seeding activity. Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking. Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats.
CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates.
Our results show positive prion detection in all products.
Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking.
Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
Transmission of prion infectivity from CWD-infected macaque tissues to rodent models demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease.
Further passage to cervidized mice revealed transmission with a 100% attack rate.
Our findings demonstrate that macaques, considered the best model for the zoonotic potential of prions, were infected upon CWD challenge, including the oral one.
The disease manifested as atypical in macaques and initial transgenic mouse transmissions, but with infectivity present at all times, as unveiled in the bank vole model with an unusual tissue tropism.
Epidemiologic surveillance of prion disease among cervid hunters and people likely to have consumed venison contaminated with chronic wasting disease
=====
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
https://defrauktseprp.blogspot.com/2026/06/hazard-identification-for-risks-to.html
USA Report, Scrapie, CWD, BSE, TSE, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Cervid, Humans, Zoonotic, 2026
April 2026
https://fdabse589.blogspot.com/2026/04/usa-report-scrapie-cwd-bse-tse-cattle.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403956772_USA_Report_Scrapie_CWD_BSE_TSE_Cattle_Sheep_Pigs_Cervid_Humans_Zoonotic_2026
SUNDAY, AUGUST 09, 2026
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD and Population Declines of Cervid
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/08/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-and.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/229/cwd-prion-population-declines-cervid
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=336834
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/8/24-0007_article
cwd tse prion, cattle, pigs, sheep, primates, oh my!
Prion Conference 2023
Transmission of the chronic wasting disease agent from elk to cattle after oronasal exposure
Justin Greenlee, Jifeng Bian, Zoe Lambert, Alexis Frese, and Eric Cassmann Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of cattle to chronic wasting disease agent from elk.
Materials and Methods: Initial studies were conducted in bovinized mice using inoculum derived from elk with various genotypes at codon 132 (MM, LM, LL). Based upon attack rates, inoculum (10% w/v brain homogenate) from an LM132 elk was selected for transmission studies in cattle. At approximately 2 weeks of age, one wild type steer (EE211) and one steer with the E211K polymorphism (EK211) were fed 1 mL of brain homogenate in a quart of milk replacer while another 1 mL was instilled intranasally. The cattle were examined daily for clinical signs for the duration of the experiment. One steer is still under observation at 71 months post-inoculation (mpi).
Results: Inoculum derived from MM132 elk resulted in similar attack rates and incubation periods in mice expressing wild type or K211 bovine PRNP, 35% at 531 days post inoculation (dpi) and 27% at 448 dpi, respectively. Inoculum from LM132 elk had a slightly higher attack rates in mice: 45% (693 dpi) in wild type cattle PRNP and 33% (468) in K211 mice. Inoculum from LL132 elk resulted in the highest attack rate in wild type bovinized mice (53% at 625 dpi), but no K211 mice were affected at >700 days. At approximately 70 mpi, the EK211 genotype steer developed clinical signs suggestive of prion disease, depression, low head carriage, hypersalivation, and ataxia, and was necropsied. Enzyme immunoassay (IDEXX) was positive in brainstem (OD=4.00, but non-detect in retropharyngeal lymph nodes and palatine tonsil. Immunoreactivity was largely limited to the brainstem, midbrain, and cervical spinal cord with a pattern that was primarily glia-associated.
“Conclusions: Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material.”
Strain characterization of chronic wasting disease in bovine-PrP transgenic mice
Conclusions: Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study.
Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.research-gate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
don’t forget the pigs, outbreak of cwd in pigs in Texas and Arkansas;
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America Preliminary Outbreak Assessment DEFRA 26 January 2026 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America
26 January 2026
Disease report
“They analysed over 300 brain and lymph node samples from 178 wild pigs living across Arkansas and Texas, USA…the researchers identified CWD prions in up to 37% of the lymph node samples and 15% of brain samples. The lowest detection rates were in the Texas samples (below 16%), matching the lower CWD prevalence in the state’s cervid population.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697a3b013c71d838df6bd413/CWD_Prions_in_Cervids_and_Wild_Pigs_in_North_America.pdf
Detection of Prions in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) from Areas with Reported Chronic Wasting Disease Cases, United State Volume 31, Number 1—January 2025
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/1/24-0401_article
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America
26 January 2026
Disease report
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids, such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. It is caused by prions – infectious proteins that cause normal cellular prion proteins to misfold (CIDRAP, 2025). The disease is widespread in captive and free-ranging cervids in North America (Figure 1). For the first time, CWD prions have also been detected in the tissues of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) caught in CWD-affected areas of the USA (Soto et al. 2025). This discovery emerged from a study designed to investigate potential interactions between wild pigs and CWD prions, as wild pigs often coexist with cervids, which can shed prions into the environment. The following assessment discusses the epidemiology of CWD in North America and the detection of CWD prions in wild pigs. It also considers the potential implications for Great Britain.
Conclusion
CWD has continued to spread among captive and free-ranging cervids in North America since it was first detected in the 1960s. The finding of CWD prions in wild pigs in the USA suggests they could contribute towards transmission of the disease, influencing its epidemiology, geographic distribution and interspecies spread. However, further research is needed to confirm this. CWD has never been reported in Great Britain and the current risk of CWD prions being introduced into Great Britain’s wild pig or cervid population ranges from very low to negligible.
Readers are reminded to be vigilant for signs of CWD. Information on how to spot the disease can be found here. Suspected cases must be reported immediately to the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. In Wales, call 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office. Failure to do so is an offence. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Authors • Lawrence Finn • Dr. Lauren Perrin • John Spiropoulos • Dr. Helen RobertsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
References
snip…see full report;
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697a3b013c71d838df6bd413/CWD_Prions_in_Cervids_and_Wild_Pigs_in_North_America.pdf
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2026
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America Preliminary Outbreak
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01800-25
https://media.ark.org/agri/Moore_2017_Swine_CWD.pdf
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/01/chronic-wasting-disease-prions-in.html
***> cwd to sheep
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD vs Scrapie TSE Prion
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=410511
Detection of infectivity in orally inoculated pigs using mouse bioassay raises the possibility that naturally exposed pigs could act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity. Currently, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from deer or elk. In addition, feral swine could be exposed to infected carcasses in areas where CWD is present in wildlife populations. The current feed ban in the U.S. is based exclusively on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from entering animal feeds. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to CWD, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=353091
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=432011&fy=2017
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=337105
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=326166
Research Project: Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: Differentiation of scrapie from chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer
Accomplishments
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. It has long been suggested that prion disease in deer (chronic wasting disease (CWD)) was caused by the prion agent from sheep. The prion disease that affects sheep, scrapie, has been recognized for hundreds of years. However, chronic wasting disease, a similar disease found in WTD, has only been recognized since the 1960s. ARS researchers in Ames, Iowa, showed that white-tailed deer sick with scrapie from sheep can infect other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. Furthermore, this work shows that CWD is difficult to differentiate from WTD infected with scrapie. WTD scrapie prions accumulate in the lymphoreticular system in a manner similar to CWD, meaning that environmental contamination may occur through feces, saliva, and other body fluids of scrapie affected WTD as has been shown for CWD. The presence of WTD infected with scrapie could confound mitigation efforts for chronic wasting disease. This information informs regulatory officials, the farmed cervid industry, and officials tasked with protecting animal health such as state Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, or Parks and Wildlife with regard to a disease similar to CWD but arising from sheep scrapie that could be present in WTD that have contact with scrapie affected sheep and/or goats.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
CWD TSE Prion 2026
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026
***> Looming Crisis U. S. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE Prion, in Cattle, Cervid, Sheep, Pigs, and Humans, oh my <***
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/09/looming-crisis-u-s-transmissible.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/246/looming-crisis-prion-cattle-cervid
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
***> Hazard identification for the risks to terrestrial animal health from the import of hay and straw, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw
https://defrauktseprp.blogspot.com/2026/06/hazard-identification-for-risks-to.html
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=336834
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/8/24-0007_article
see;
https://nor-98.blogspot.com/2016/09/goat-k222-prpc-polymorphic-variant-does.html
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/04/us-report-scrapie-cwd-cattle-sheep-pigs.html
***> Scrapie TSE Prion, Singeltary review, October 2026
https://scrapie-usa.blogspot.com/2026/10/scrapie-tse-prion-singeltary-review.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/250/scrapie-prion-singeltary-review-2026
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion, Economical, Environmental, Zoonotic, Risk Factors 2026
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/02/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse-prion.html
***> USA Report, Scrapie, CWD, BSE, TSE, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Cervid, Humans, Zoonotic, 2026
April 2026
https://fdabse589.blogspot.com/2026/04/usa-report-scrapie-cwd-bse-tse-cattle.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403956772_USA_Report_Scrapie_CWD_BSE_TSE_Cattle_Sheep_Pigs_Cervid_Humans_Zoonotic_2026
APHIS USDA Captive CWD Herds Update by State March 2026 Update
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/243/aphis-captive-herd-status-september
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/aphis-captive-herd-cwd-status-september.html
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2026
Texas 5th Captive Herd Depopulated This Year Due To Positive CWD TSE Prion
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/texas-5th-captive-herd-depopulated-this.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/242/texas-captive-deer-herd-depopulated
***> Cervid CWD TSE PrP Transmission to Humans, has it already happened and being masked as sporadic CJD, What if? July 2026 Review
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/07/cervid-cwd-tse-prp-transmission-to.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/224/cervid-transmission-humans-july-review
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026
A new chapter for CWRU’s Prion Center
https://prionunitusaupdate.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-new-chapter-for-cwrus-prion-center.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/239/new-chapter-cwru-prion-center
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Transmission of the chronic wasting disease agent from elk to cattle after oronasal exposure
Justin Greenlee, Jifeng Bian, Zoe Lambert, Alexis Frese, and Eric Cassmann Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of cattle to chronic wasting disease agent from elk.
Materials and Methods: Initial studies were conducted in bovinized mice using inoculum derived from elk with various genotypes at codon 132 (MM, LM, LL). Based upon attack rates, inoculum (10% w/v brain homogenate) from an LM132 elk was selected for transmission studies in cattle. At approximately 2 weeks of age, one wild type steer (EE211) and one steer with the E211K polymorphism (EK211) were fed 1 mL of brain homogenate in a quart of milk replacer while another 1 mL was instilled intranasally. The cattle were examined daily for clinical signs for the duration of the experiment. One steer is still under observation at 71 months post-inoculation (mpi).
Results: Inoculum derived from MM132 elk resulted in similar attack rates and incubation periods in mice expressing wild type or K211 bovine PRNP, 35% at 531 days post inoculation (dpi) and 27% at 448 dpi, respectively. Inoculum from LM132 elk had a slightly higher attack rates in mice: 45% (693 dpi) in wild type cattle PRNP and 33% (468) in K211 mice. Inoculum from LL132 elk resulted in the highest attack rate in wild type bovinized mice (53% at 625 dpi), but no K211 mice were affected at >700 days. At approximately 70 mpi, the EK211 genotype steer developed clinical signs suggestive of prion disease, depression, low head carriage, hypersalivation, and ataxia, and was necropsied. Enzyme immunoassay (IDEXX) was positive in brainstem (OD=4.00, but non-detect in retropharyngeal lymph nodes and palatine tonsil. Immunoreactivity was largely limited to the brainstem, midbrain, and cervical spinal cord with a pattern that was primarily glia-associated.
“Conclusions: Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material.”
Strain characterization of chronic wasting disease in bovine-PrP transgenic mice
Conclusions: Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study.
Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.research-gate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
don’t forget the pigs, outbreak of cwd in pigs in Texas and Arkansas;
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America Preliminary Outbreak Assessment DEFRA 26 January 2026 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America
26 January 2026
Disease report
“They analysed over 300 brain and lymph node samples from 178 wild pigs living across Arkansas and Texas, USA…the researchers identified CWD prions in up to 37% of the lymph node samples and 15% of brain samples. The lowest detection rates were in the Texas samples (below 16%), matching the lower CWD prevalence in the state’s cervid population.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697a3b013c71d838df6bd413/CWD_Prions_in_Cervids_and_Wild_Pigs_in_North_America.pdf
Detection of Prions in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) from Areas with Reported Chronic Wasting Disease Cases, United State Volume 31, Number 1—January 2025
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/1/24-0401_article
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America
26 January 2026
Disease report
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids, such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. It is caused by prions – infectious proteins that cause normal cellular prion proteins to misfold (CIDRAP, 2025). The disease is widespread in captive and free-ranging cervids in North America (Figure 1). For the first time, CWD prions have also been detected in the tissues of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) caught in CWD-affected areas of the USA (Soto et al. 2025). This discovery emerged from a study designed to investigate potential interactions between wild pigs and CWD prions, as wild pigs often coexist with cervids, which can shed prions into the environment. The following assessment discusses the epidemiology of CWD in North America and the detection of CWD prions in wild pigs. It also considers the potential implications for Great Britain.
Conclusion
CWD has continued to spread among captive and free-ranging cervids in North America since it was first detected in the 1960s. The finding of CWD prions in wild pigs in the USA suggests they could contribute towards transmission of the disease, influencing its epidemiology, geographic distribution and interspecies spread. However, further research is needed to confirm this. CWD has never been reported in Great Britain and the current risk of CWD prions being introduced into Great Britain’s wild pig or cervid population ranges from very low to negligible.
Readers are reminded to be vigilant for signs of CWD. Information on how to spot the disease can be found here. Suspected cases must be reported immediately to the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. In Wales, call 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office. Failure to do so is an offence. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Authors • Lawrence Finn • Dr. Lauren Perrin • John Spiropoulos • Dr. Helen RobertsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
References
snip…see full report;
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697a3b013c71d838df6bd413/CWD_Prions_in_Cervids_and_Wild_Pigs_in_North_America.pdf
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2026
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America Preliminary Outbreak
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01800-25
https://media.ark.org/agri/Moore_2017_Swine_CWD.pdf
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/01/chronic-wasting-disease-prions-in.html
***> cwd to sheep
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD vs Scrapie TSE Prion
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=410511
Detection of infectivity in orally inoculated pigs using mouse bioassay raises the possibility that naturally exposed pigs could act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity. Currently, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from deer or elk. In addition, feral swine could be exposed to infected carcasses in areas where CWD is present in wildlife populations. The current feed ban in the U.S. is based exclusively on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from entering animal feeds. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to CWD, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=353091
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=432011&fy=2017
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=337105
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=326166
Research Project: Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: Differentiation of scrapie from chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer
Accomplishments
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. It has long been suggested that prion disease in deer (chronic wasting disease (CWD)) was caused by the prion agent from sheep. The prion disease that affects sheep, scrapie, has been recognized for hundreds of years. However, chronic wasting disease, a similar disease found in WTD, has only been recognized since the 1960s. ARS researchers in Ames, Iowa, showed that white-tailed deer sick with scrapie from sheep can infect other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. Furthermore, this work shows that CWD is difficult to differentiate from WTD infected with scrapie. WTD scrapie prions accumulate in the lymphoreticular system in a manner similar to CWD, meaning that environmental contamination may occur through feces, saliva, and other body fluids of scrapie affected WTD as has been shown for CWD. The presence of WTD infected with scrapie could confound mitigation efforts for chronic wasting disease. This information informs regulatory officials, the farmed cervid industry, and officials tasked with protecting animal health such as state Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, or Parks and Wildlife with regard to a disease similar to CWD but arising from sheep scrapie that could be present in WTD that have contact with scrapie affected sheep and/or goats.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
CWD TSE Prion 2026
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026
***> Looming Crisis U. S. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE Prion, in Cattle, Cervid, Sheep, Pigs, and Humans, oh my <***
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/09/looming-crisis-u-s-transmissible.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/246/looming-crisis-prion-cattle-cervid
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
***> Hazard identification for the risks to terrestrial animal health from the import of hay and straw, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw
https://defrauktseprp.blogspot.com/2026/06/hazard-identification-for-risks-to.html
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=336834
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/8/24-0007_article
see;
https://nor-98.blogspot.com/2016/09/goat-k222-prpc-polymorphic-variant-does.html
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/04/us-report-scrapie-cwd-cattle-sheep-pigs.html
***> Scrapie TSE Prion, Singeltary review, October 2026
https://scrapie-usa.blogspot.com/2026/10/scrapie-tse-prion-singeltary-review.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/250/scrapie-prion-singeltary-review-2026
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion, Economical, Environmental, Zoonotic, Risk Factors 2026
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/02/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse-prion.html
***> USA Report, Scrapie, CWD, BSE, TSE, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Cervid, Humans, Zoonotic, 2026
April 2026
https://fdabse589.blogspot.com/2026/04/usa-report-scrapie-cwd-bse-tse-cattle.html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403956772_USA_Report_Scrapie_CWD_BSE_TSE_Cattle_Sheep_Pigs_Cervid_Humans_Zoonotic_2026
APHIS USDA Captive CWD Herds Update by State March 2026 Update
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/243/aphis-captive-herd-status-september
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/aphis-captive-herd-cwd-status-september.html
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2026
Texas 5th Captive Herd Depopulated This Year Due To Positive CWD TSE Prion
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/09/texas-5th-captive-herd-depopulated-this.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/242/texas-captive-deer-herd-depopulated
***> Cervid CWD TSE PrP Transmission to Humans, has it already happened and being masked as sporadic CJD, What if? July 2026 Review
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/07/cervid-cwd-tse-prp-transmission-to.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/224/cervid-transmission-humans-july-review
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026
A new chapter for CWRU’s Prion Center
https://prionunitusaupdate.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-new-chapter-for-cwrus-prion-center.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/239/new-chapter-cwru-prion-center
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
11:03 AM
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