Wild Animals to be Euthanized
News Channel 6
6 Mar 2007
A Kimenker
Area: Idaho, USA
The Department of Agriculture and Idaho Fish and Game are working together to keep wildlife in Southeast Idaho safe. To avoid the spread of a wildlife disease, they are euthanizing wild animals trapped inside an elk ranch. Ashli Kimenker spoke to Fish and Game today. Fish and Game says at least 30 animals are trapped inside the elk ranch's fences. Yesterday, they hiked parts of the 2,000-acre ranch to euthanize them.
They say the danger of those animals being infected by the domestic ones and escaping is a risk they are not willing to take. In August they tried, even though they knew their chances were slim. Mark Gamblin, Regional Supervisor - Southeast Region: "We were unsuccessful. To our knowledge, we didn't move any wildlife outside the enclosure - which is not surprising because these are wild animals. They are in their native habitat and that type of effort almost always is not successful."
Hanna Herald (Posted by Canoe Network)
6 March 2007
L Vopni
Area: Alberta, Canada
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials will begin culling deer along the Saskatchewan border on Mar. 5 over concerns about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The cull will begin in the Empress area, moving north towards the Chauvin area, east of Wainwright throughout the month of March. Four new cases of CWD, a fatal nervous system disease affecting elk, mule and white-tailed deer, discovered during the 2006 hunting season have led to some of the concern. The first case of CWD was discovered in farmed elk and white-tailed deer in the early 1990’s.
The province of Alberta has had surveying programs for CWD in place since 1996, with the first case of the disease discovered in the wild in Sept. 2005. "We have a limited understanding of the disease so it is hard to try and control it," said Lyle Fullerton, an Information Officer with Alberta Fish and Wildlife. "If we knew the exact mechanism we would have better leads on how we can control CWD. Right now, based on the information that we have the only known options that we have are depopulation and herd reductions in areas where we know it exists."
The Associated Press (Posted by Worcester Telegram)
4 March 2007
K Webster
Area: New Hampshire, USA
As a group of white-tailed deer hesitates at the edge of the woods, logger Rick Gagne strides across his yard with a bucket of molasses-sweetened grain, calling “Come on! Come on and eat!” Gagne tosses some feed onto the snow and, one by one, the does and fawns venture into the open to grab a few mouthfuls. Wary of strangers, they stay only a minute or two before running back into the woods, white tails flashing.
So many people feed deer in the North Country during winter that wildlife biologists say all deer get some commercial feed in their diets. “You’ll get one person who starts feeding, another sees it, and it’s like a chain reaction,” said Will Staats, state wildlife biologist for Coos County. Wildlife experts have long discouraged feeding, saying it makes the deer more vulnerable to disease, predators and fatal accidents with vehicles. But their concerns have increased with the spread of chronic wasting disease, a fatal illness similar to mad cow disease that strikes deer, elk and moose.
Earth Times.org
2 March 2007
Area: Pennsylvania, USA
Following a week-long drill and review, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe announced that he is pleased with the progress that the agency is making to response should chronic wasting disease (CWD) be found in the state. "Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are working to ensure that it stays that way," Roe said. "While there always is room for improvement, I believe that, having gone through this planning exercise, our agency response plan provides a solid foundation should CWD be identified within our borders.
"Working through this drill, we have identified certain equipment, materials and contact information we must refine in order to improve our preparedness. We also look forward to the next meeting of the statewide CWD Task Force, so that we can share what we have learned and what we believe we need to address in the overall state response plan." Launched on Feb. 19, Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, and Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director, called agency staff on the CWD response team to start the drill.
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