Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has reared it’s ugly head yet again, this time it is in the state of Minnesota at the largest elk farm in the state according to the Star Tribune’s website. The farm which is north of Rochester has about 1000 head of elk has the first case of CWD since 2006 in the state.
Monday it was reported that the farm indeed had an elk that was infected with the deadly brain disease. Officials are now worried that this might spread into the wild deer population. This isn’t good news for the elk farming industry, which Minnesota happens to be the state with the largest elk farming industry. This is also the first case of CWD found in the southeastern part of the state.
The Minnesota DNR along with the Board of Animal Health hasn’t made any decisions yet as to what to do with the rest of the herd at the Elk Country U.S.A. farm. When CWD was previously found in a captive herd in the state the entire herd was destroyed. This farm is much larger than that of the prevoius farms that tested positive. The elk in question was slaughtered just after Christmas and it came back positive for CWD last friday. As of now the farm is under quarentine with no animals coming in or going out until further notice.
Olmstead county is home to Elk Country U.S.A. and the county is also home to 23 other captive cervid farms which makes it one of the largest cervid farming counties in the state according to the Post Bulletin. This recent case of CWD makes this the third such case in Minnesota. The first was in 2003 and the second being in 2006. In 2003 Minnesota took steps to help prevent CWD from becoming a problem in the state. It ordered mandatory registration and surveillance programs for all captive cervid farms in the state. It also required all cervid farm owners to provide a brain sample for CWD testing of all cervids over 16 months of age that either die or are slaughtered. This is what led to the positive test of the seven year old female elk found at Elk Country U.S.A. last week according to the Post Bulletin.
We have seen what a postive test has done to the state of Michigan last August. We are still reeling from the effect this has had on the wild deer hunting in Michigan. Wisconsin our neighbor to the west is dealing with CWD in their wild deer herd. Now with Minnesota just to their west, it just puts another state in the crosshairs of CWD. Why is it the hunters of this nation have to pay the price for the carelessness of a commercial industry. This just seems to be a growing trend with no end in sight. Lets just hope that this case hasn’t jumped the fence yet. We will have to wait and see. As of yet there is nothing reported on the Minnesota DNR’s press release page or website.
