Chronic wasting dis., elk - Canada

Date: 13 Dec 2000 16:23:55 GMT+0200
From: Marjorie P. Pollack
Source: The Producer By Ed White, Saskatoon Newsroom 7 Dec 2000 [edited]


Federal officials have begun whole-herd exterminations as chronic wasting
disease continues to spread among Saskatchewan elk farms. About 1500 elk
are being destroyed in an attempt to stop the disease from becoming
endemic. Chronic wasting disease is similar to scrapie and mad cow disease.
One farm, which may have contained infected animals for the past 10 years,
may also be banned from raising elk again. "We're proceeding now to
[eliminate] all of those animals," Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA]
veterinarian George Luterbach said.

The disease, which had previously been found on 5 Saskatchewan farms this
year, has now been detected on a sixth farm. In Saskatchewan 14 infected
animals have been found. The first [detected] case of infection in the
province occurred in 1996 on a Sedley farm. In 1998, a second case
developed on a farm near Swift Current. In 2000, the same Swift Current
farm developed another case of chronic wasting disease. Since then 5 more
herds have been found with infected animals.

Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in 1967 on a Colorado wildlife
research farm, where a group of captive elk became infected. The farm
eventually exterminated the animals, but when newly-captured animals were
brought into the center, a number developed chronic wasting disease within
a few years.

Luterbach said the CFIA thinks it has identified the source herd on a
Lloydminster area farm that is connected to all the cases through sales and
animal movement. Since that farm may be what is considered "highly
contaminated," federal officials may ban elk production there. "We will
have to consider alternate land uses," Luterbach said.

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation thinks the problem is bigger than the
industry admits. [As part of the effort to monitor] wildlife,
Saskatchewan's environment department is asking hunters to turn in elk and
deer heads for the next 3 years so its scientists can test for CWD in the
wild ungulate population. It is also asking hunters to take sick or
abnormal animals to a conservation officer for inspection.

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