For the first time, a deer in Wayne County, Tennessee, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), authorities announced yesterday.
The detection was in a road-killed deer, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said in a news release. Wildlife-feeding and carcass-transportation restrictions are in place, because Wayne County was already included in the state’s CWD management zone.
Located in south-central Tennessee, Wayne County borders Alabama and Decatur County, Tennessee, which reported its first CWD case earlier this month.
While deer hunting season dates and regulations won’t change as a result of the case, Wayne County hunters are now eligible for the Earn-a-Buck Program, which allows them to harvest additional bucks by harvesting antlerless deer and submitting them for CWD testing.
“Hunter’s participation in CWD testing is critical for the continued surveillance and monitoring of CWD throughout the state,” TWRA said. “Hunters can access CWD testing through participating taxidermists and meat processors or by using drop-off freezers.”
Disease found in 36 US states, 5 other countries
CWD, which affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread from direct contact and through environmental contamination. While CWD hasn’t been identified in people, health officials urge not consuming the meat of sick or infected cervids and using caution when handling carcasses.
Hunter’s participation in CWD testing is critical for the continued surveillance and monitoring of CWD throughout the state.
Since the disease was first identified in Colorado in 1967, it has spread to 35 other US states, five Canadian provinces, Finland, Norway, South Korea, and Sweden. No vaccine or treatment is available.
