December 8, 2006

Laramie, Wyoming - Two new Wyoming hunt areas have reported a positive case for chronic wasting disease, according to recent tests concluded by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Laboratory.

A bull elk in hunt area 22, the Ferris Mountains east of Muddy Gap, was detected for CWD by the laboratory Dec. 7 and a mule deer in hunt area 11 was detected Dec. 8.

The positive-testing elk had been observed for several days in sagebrush country south of the Ferris Mountains with the classic CWD symptoms of being emaciated, profuse salivation and disorientation. The animal was collected and taken to the laboratory by Game Warden Bill Brinegar Dec.1.

"We’re disappointed, but not surprised, at the discovery because the disease had been detected in the area across the river to the east," said Tom Ryder, Game and Fish wildlife management coordinator for the Lander Region.

Deer surveys were flown over the area Dec. 2 and there were no elk within 10 miles of the afflicted animal. "It appears the elk was not recently in close proximity of other elk, so hopefully direct transmission may have been minimized," he added.

The area 11-buck mule deer was killed by a hunter Oct. 1 and a lymph node sample collected at a Game and Fish check station. "This CWD positive is no surprise at all, because area 11 is nearly completely surrounded by other areas, including South Dakota, where CWD has been detected," said Joe Sandrini, wildlife biologist in Newcastle.

He added a recent positive-testing deer in area 9 was harvested very near the area 11 border and probably spent some time in area 11.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that has been diagnosed in wild deer and elk in 10 states and two Canadian provinces. Animals show no apparent signs of illness throughout much of the disease’s course. In terminal stages of CWD, animals typically are emaciated and display abnormal behavior.