Authorities in Washington state have adopted a series of emergency measures to contain the spread of chronic wasting disease, including mandatory testing in three hunting districts and restrictions on transporting dead animals.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the regulations Friday morning, just over three weeks after the state confirmed the first case of the always fatal disease in a white-tailed deer north of Spokane.
The new regulations require CWD testing for all deer and elk killed by hunters or recovered in Game Management Units 124, 127 and 130, a broad area surrounding the site where the CWD-positive deer was found. They also prohibit the use of bait for hunting in those units.
They also prohibit the transportation of dead animal parts from most parts of Eastern Washington to other parts of the state, with the exception of deboned meat.
Increased testing will help the agency better understand the outbreak, and transportation and baiting regulations will help contain its spread.
The rules are WDFW’s first major step in addressing the situation affecting deer, elk and elk. Although they are temporary, the agency said in a news release that it plans to propose permanent rules for approval by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Agency officials wrote in the press release that it was “important to prevent a large-scale outbreak of CWD in Washington to protect wildlife populations.”
CWD has now been detected in 35 states and five Canadian provinces. Shortly after Washington announced its first case in early August, Idaho announced that the disease had been detected for the first time in the Bonners Ferry area.
The disease is caused by the deformation of microscopic proteins called prions. Infected animals excrete the prions through body fluids and other animals can easily absorb them through direct contact.
In a healthy animal, the misfolded prions cause other prions to malfunction, causing the disease to progress and eventually affect the animal’s nervous system. Symptoms usually do not appear until the late stages of the disease, but infected animals may become emaciated and exhibit erratic behavior.
The disease is not known to affect humans, but health authorities advise against eating meat from infected animals. If not contained, the disease has been shown to have a significant impact on wildlife populations.
Since there is no cure, conservation officials can only try to determine the extent of an outbreak and take measures to contain its spread.
WDFW said the disease was discovered on August 1. The deer was found dead in the Fairwood area north of Spokane in February. Because of the way testing is done at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in Pullman, the sample was not tested until July.
Since the confirmation, WDFW representatives have been meeting to determine their next steps.
Authorities decided to order testing and prohibit baiting in three Spokane housing units – 124, 127 and 130. The deer was found in unit 124, and at least parts of 127 and 130 are within 10 miles of where the deer was found.
The testing requirement is intended to help WDFW better understand the extent of the outbreak. Officials said in a press conference this month that they believe they detected the disease early, but more testing is needed to confirm that.
Successful hunters and recovery personnel must submit their animal’s head with a three-inch neck piece or lymph nodes taken from the base of the animal’s skull, a press release said.
For those who wish to collect their own samples, the WDFW provides online instructions. In addition, the agency also collects samples from its offices by appointment.
The ban on hunting with bait is intended to limit the possibility of large numbers of deer or elk congregating in a small area, which would facilitate the spread of CWD. The ban applies only to those three units, and the practice remains permitted in other hunting districts in the state.
Staci Lehman, a spokeswoman for WDFW, said there have been discussions in the past about banning bait hunting for numerous reasons and WDFW is “definitely interested in having such a conversation.”
The transportation restrictions apply to all game management units in WDFW’s 10-county eastern region. All successful big game hunters in units numbering in the hundreds must debone their meat in the region before they can transport it elsewhere.
Josh Wilund, co-chair of the Washington chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said in a statement that the group fully supports WDFW’s new rules.
“We know that emergency rules often cause concern and that some hunters feel that the changes create inconveniences or require additional sacrifices,” Wilund said. “However, the agency is responding quickly to a serious and always fatal deer bird disease and is taking steps to make testing easier.”
Wilund added that controlling CWD should not be a “hot topic” in Washington and that hunters and others who care about protecting wildlife should get involved.
“Now it’s our turn to do something,” said Wilund.
