With the deer hunting season in Wisconsin beginning soon, the DNR held a press conference to talk about efforts to halt the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
They announced an intensive surveillance project in 18 northern counties.
CWD has been confirmed in Oneida, Lincoln, Langlade and Forest counties which has brought about strict guidelines concerning harvested deer and baiting and feeding.
DNR's acting director for the Bureau of Wildlife Management, Tami Ryan says they're hoping to get hunter cooperation for an ambitious goal...
"...This year we have the projected number of samples around 21,000 which we haven't actually to have that high of a number since our early years of surveillance since 2004. We're continuing to expand and enhance our surveillance efforts..."
Ryan says it's the second year for surveillance across the state but the intensive sweep this year is in the Northwoods...
"..So this year in the northern part of Wisconsin, which is an 18-county district, we will be conducting disease detection surveillance in all 18 counties. That is something we started in the west central district last year and we continue to sweep across the northern part of the state this year...."
Ryan says they will also be doing surveillance in known positive locations.
Ryan says they had about 17,000 tests last year.
Ryan says they will also be offering a 'adopt a kiosk' and 'adopt a dumpster' program again. The kiosks help hunters register their deer for testing and the dumpsters enable carcasses to be properly disposed of to prevent the spread of CWD.
The disease is caused by an abnormal protein, called a prion, that can be passed from deer-to-deer, or can be passed by having the prion in the environment and passing it to healthy deer.
