Chronic wasting disease continues a slow but steady advance across the midwest. Three cases have been found from deer killed during the 2011-12 Kansas deer seasons, with about 35-percent of about 2,400 samples tested.
Missouri found it first two cases of CWD in wild deer during their seasons. Both bucks were in the northwestern part of the state, not far from Heartland Wildlife Ranch, where the disease was found in a captive deer in 2010.
A release from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism said recent positives were found in whitetail bucks from Decatur, Rawlins and Wallace counties. All are in northwest Kansas. It’s the first confirmed case from Wallace County.
Kansas has been testing for the disease for about 15 years. The first positive in a wild deer was in 2005 in Cheyenne County. Since, 43 cases have been found through testing. The disease appears to be gradually spreading to the south and east.
CWD was first diagnosed in deer along the Wyoming/Colorado border more than 40 years ago. It’s spread as far east as New York within about the last decade. The transport of diseased captive deer and remains of infected wild deer taken to other states for disposal are possible ways CWD has been spread.
The disease has been found in most members of the American deer family, including whitetail and mule deer, elk and moose. It has never been documented in livestock or humans, though it closely resembles Mad Cow disease.
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