Deer and Elk Hunters Beware of Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease is a member of group ofthereafter it appeared in mule deer at a sister
transmittable brain diseases that affect elk and deer.research station nearby. Whether it existed
What causes this horrible disease? Even scientists inpreviously in captivity in the wild is not known and will
the field really do not know fully. Some say it is aprobably never be known. In the area known as the
little protein called a prion which causes the brain toheart of the disease problem - in certain areas of
manufacture toxic chemicals horribly toxic to yourColorado, Wyoming and Nebraska- rates of infection
brain. The brain becomes riddled with holes lookingare as high as 15 % of the mule deer population and
almost like a sponge. Hence Chronic Wasting Disease1 to 2 % of the sparse population of elk that reside
is referred to as being in the spongiform group ofthere. That should give you some idea of the
wasting diseases.incidence and history of reports of Chronic Wasting
You may have heard of other similar brain diseasesDisease in big game animals.
such as "Scrapie" which affects sheep. ScrapieCWD is definitely spreading. There are reports as far
disease has been around for a long time - 200 yearsaway geographically, across national borders, as to
at least. Next is "Mad Cow Disease" which killsthe north in Canada. However this seems to be the
domestic cattle and has been known to beresult of game farms, not the spread in wild animals.
transmittable to humans. Lastly is a disease, which isIn terms of reassurance to people who have eaten
the model for "Mad Cow Disease" calledwild game, or plan to do so in the future no cases of
"Ceeutzfeldt-Jacob Disease", referred to simply asChronic Wasting Disease or even Mad Cow Disease
"CJD". The point is the exercise is that CJD serves ashave been produced or reported among people who
the model; "Mad Cow Disease" has been known tohave eaten deer meat or elk meats. People who did
be somehow transmittable to human beings afterget Mad Cow Disease acquired it by eating infected
eating infected or tainted meat. So far it appearsbeef from infected cattle. I seem that no people
that the Chronic Wasting Disease found in Americaacquired this horrible disease by eating infected game
and Canada does not infect or transfer to peopleproducts. In a similar vein sheep scrapie has been
who have eaten this infected meat. It is true thataround a very long time and does not appear to
any effects take up to decades to appear. Stillproduce any disease or diseases in human beings.
Chronic Wasting Disease does not appear to be ablePeople have been eating sheep and sheep products
to spread by eating infected meat - obtained byfor eons and no case of human scrapie diseases
hunting big game in North America.have ever been reported.
To give you an idea of the time frame scientists firstBe reassured that this horrible disease is not
discovered this Chronic Wasting Disease in a captivetransmittable through hunting and eating wild game.
mule deer near Fort Collins in Colorado in 1977. Shortly