WDFW WILDLIFE PROGRAM
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
wildthing@dfw.wa.gov
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Two New States Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been found in wild deer populations in Texas and Missouri. Washington residents hunting in those states, as well as the 15 other states and two Canadian provinces where CWD has been confirmed, are required to conduct additional processing of deer, elk and moose carcasses brought back to the state of Washington.
The others states where CWD has been detected include Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The requirements are in place to reduce the risk of spreading CWD into Washington, where no cases of the disease have been confirmed. While CWD is a fatal illness in deer and elk, there have been no confirmed cases of CWD being transmitted to humans or passed to domestic animals or livestock.
For more information on the additional processing and reporting requirements, see page 93 of the Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules Pamphlet on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/ . For more information on CWD, visit the department's website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/cwd/ .