Minnesota CWD update test results from deer harvested in the 2019 hunting season and the special hunts have returned 27 wild deer tested positive for CWD all from the southeast DMZ

Minnesota CWD update test results from deer harvested in the 2019 hunting season and the special hunts have returned 27 wild deer tested positive for CWD all from the southeast DMZ CWD test results wrap-up Chronic wasting disease test results from deer harvested in the 2019 hunting season and the special hunts have returned. Twenty-seven wild deer tested positive for CWD, all from the southeast disease management zone, which remains the largest area of concern for the disease in our wild deer. Since 2010, a total of 79 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in the state. In the central surveillance area, out of 536 samples, no wild deer tested positive for CWD. Because this was the third consecutive year of testing without CWD detection, there will be no more surveillance efforts in this area for the 2020 hunting season. In the north central disease management zone, 3,965 wild deer were tested and no positives were detected. The management zone, DPA 604, will remain in place for at least two more years as part of our CWD response plan. Find more details about CWD testing results, including details on each of the positives, at mndnr.gov/cwdcheck. Thank you to all hunters for your compliance and patience – your efforts are critical in helping us see where disease is most prevalent and for keeping our wild deer healthy in the long-term. CWD test results: July 1, 2019 to present Look up your CWD testing results, see the current season's sampling results, view CWD-positive wild deer locations with an interactive map, previous years' sampling results and learn how you can collect lymph nodes to submit your own samples for testing below. CWD sampling results for the disease management area North Central CWD Management Zone Samples Pending Not Detected Suspect Positive Details Area 604 3965 0 3965 0 0 View North Central CWD Management Zone Totals 3965 0 3965 0 0 Southeast CWD Management Zone Samples Pending Not Detected Suspect Positive Details Area 643 1210 0 1209 0 1 View Area 645 1356 0 1356 0 0 View Area 646 2811 0 2802 0 9 View Area 647 1422 0 1419 0 3 View Area 648 1571 0 1558 0 13 View Area 649 3192 0 3192 0 0 View Area 655 477 0 477 0 0 View Southeast CWD Management Zone Totals 12039 0 12013 0 26 CWD sampling results for precautionary testing areas Southeast CWD Control Zone Samples Pending Not Detected Suspect Positive Area 255 195 0 195 0 0 Area 343 479 0 479 0 0 Area 344 489 0 489 0 0 Southeast CWD Control Zone Totals 1163 0 1163 0 0 Central Surveillance Area Samples Pending Not Detected Suspect Positive Area 219 164 0 164 0 0 Area 277 191 0 191 0 0 Area 283 34 0 34 0 0 Area 285 151 0 151 0 0 Central Surveillance Area Totals 540 0 540 0 0 Opportunistic Samples - Statewide Samples Pending Not Detected Suspect Positive Details Vehicle killed 80 4 76 0 0 Found dead 39 2 36 0 1 View Reported sick 31 0 31 0 0 Other 142 1 141 0 0 Opportunistic Samples - Statewide Totals 292 7 284 0 1 Previous years' sampling results 2018 CWD sampling results 2017 CWD sampling results CWD-Positive Wild Deer in Minnesota https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/cwdcheck/index.html

Get complete CWD information Deer hunters, please regularly check the DNR website at mndnr.gov/cwd for the most recent information.

Extensive sampling of wild deer in 2019 shows that CWD remains biggest concern in southeastern Minnesota

During the 2019 hunting season and special hunts, chronic wasting disease was confirmed in 27 wild deer, all from southeastern Minnesota.

CWD was not detected in wild deer in central and north-central Minnesota.

“Overall, this is good news for Minnesota’s wild deer. The disease is still relatively rare across the state, and the CWD-positive test results this year came from areas where we had the most risk,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR wildlife research manager.

In total, 12,618 hunter-harvested deer were tested in the southeast disease management and control zones, 3,965 in the north-central disease management zone, and 536 in the central surveillance area.

An additional 282 opportunistic samples (deer found dead or reported sick) were tested, with one CWD-positive found within the southeast disease management zone. Researchers are still submitting some samples from cooperating taxidermists. Final results will be updated online at mndnr.gov/cwdcheck as they become available.

Minnesota’s CWD response plan calls for testing of wild deer for three years after the disease is detected in either captive or wild deer because the disease incubates in deer slowly. If CWD is not detected in three consecutive years of testing, the DNR stops looking for the disease in that area.

Southeastern area
In southeastern Minnesota, 23 additional cases of CWD were discovered in the disease management zone during the fall hunting season. Three additional deer were found positive for CWD after testing from the two special hunts in this area. The southeast control zone, a buffer area around the management zone, returned no CWD-positive results.

North-central areaThis was the third year of sampling in the north-central area, after the discovery of CWD in a deer farm in Crow Wing County. More than 8,000 wild deer were tested during falls 2017 and 2018 without any detection of CWD; however, one CWD-positive deer was found dead near the infected farm in January 2019, which sparked more aggressive control strategies.

The management zone, deer permit area 604, will remain in place for at least two more years to see if CWD is found in other wild deer in the area.

“We’ll continue watching the north-central area to see if disease is present beyond the one CWD-positive deer discovered last year,” Cornicelli said.

Central areaBecause no wild deer positives were detected in the central surveillance area in its third consecutive year of testing, there will be no more testing in this area during the 2020 hunting season. Precautionary testing in central Minnesota began in 2017 after the discovery of CWD at a deer farm in Meeker County.

Lots of helpTo support hunter compliance with CWD management carcass movement restrictions, the DNR placed dumpsters for deer carcass collection and disposal in 25 locations across the disease management zones, as part of the Adopt-a-Dumpster program. The program kept more than 200 tons of deer remains off of the landscape, reducing the potential for spread of CWD through infected carcasses.

“The support and help from hunters, stakeholders, and businesses were critical in making this effort a success,” said Bryan Lueth, DNR habitat program manager, who helped coordinate the program. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Bluffland Whitetails Association, Crow Wing County and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association provided support for the DNR’s Adopt-A-Dumpster program, which was established by the Minnesota Legislature.

Current management actions
In February, the DNR will work with U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services to complete targeted culling in localized areas in the southeast where CWD has been detected in wild deer. Reducing deer densities in these areas reduces the risk of disease spreading. A map of the areas of focus is available on the southeast disease management zone webpage.

Venison from deer harvested that do not test positive for CWD will be donated through the Share the Harvest program. People can find more information about the program on the DNR website.

Final CWD test results will influence how the DNR manages the disease going forward and any changes it will make to 2020 hunting regulations, which will be released in August.

Additional CWD information
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the cervid family, which includes deer, elk and moose. Since CWD was first detected in a captive elk in Minnesota in 2002, the DNR has tested more than 90,000 wild deer in the state. To date, 79 wild deer have been confirmed positive for CWD in Minnesota. Test results, including locations of confirmed positive test results and statistics, are available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/cwdcheck.

Keeping Minnesota’s wild deer population healthy remains the goal in the DNR’s response to chronic wasting disease. The DNR’s three-pronged approach to prevent spread of the disease was detailed in an earlier news release; the department’s CWD response plan can be found on the DNR website.

For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit mndnr.gov/cwd.

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https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/cwd/index.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020 

Minnesota Investigation leads to additional CWD positive deer on Pine County farm

https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2020/01/minnesota-investigation-leads-to.html

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019 

Minnesota DNR slaps temporary ban on movement of farmed deer in Minnesota due to CWD TSE Prion

https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2019/12/minnesota-dnr-slaps-temporary-ban-on.html

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020 

2004 European Commission Chronic wasting disease AND TISSUES THAT MIGHT CARRY A RISK FOR HUMAN FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED CHAINS REPORT UPDATED 2020

https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2020/01/2004-european-commission-chronic.html

Terry S. Singeltary Sr.