By Blake Jackson
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has confirmed the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a wild deer from La Crosse County.
The positive animal was an adult buck harvested by a hunter within 10 miles of the Monroe and Vernon County borders, prompting new disease management actions under state law.
La Crosse County had already been under a two-year baiting and feeding ban prior to this detection. As a result of the confirmed case, that restriction will now be extended for an additional three years. If future CWD detections occur during the ban period, the timeline will reset again, as required by Wisconsin statute.
Monroe and Vernon counties are already subject to existing three-year baiting and feeding bans due to previous detections within those counties, and this latest case will not alter their current restrictions.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological illness that affects deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. It is caused by abnormal proteins known as prions and belongs to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
Wisconsin began actively monitoring its white-tailed deer population for CWD in 1999, with the first cases confirmed in 2002.
State regulations require baiting and feeding bans in counties where CWD is detected, as well as shorter bans in neighboring counties within a 10-mile radius.
These measures are intended to reduce the spread of the disease by limiting unnatural deer congregation. Baiting and feeding increase the risk of transmission through direct contact and contaminated saliva, urine, feces, and blood.
Additional details about baiting and feeding rules and CWD prevention are available on the Wisconsin DNR website.
Photo Credit: pexels-jim-fawns
Categories: Wisconsin, General