Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Research seems to show that Cattle are infected with CWD if the prion is injected directly into the brain but not if the contact is via normal infectious routes. Also, some other species (pigs, sheep) can carry and replicate the prion without showing any clinical signs of infection. Rodents may also carry and replicate the prion but not become clinically affected simply because they don't live long enough.
I understand that the elimination of game populations entirely might stop infections, but only because there are no animals left to infect. Evidence suggests that the prions may exist in the environment for ten years or more, in some instances. My point is, there doesn't seem to be a truly viable approach to elimination of the disease. It is environmentally endemic. When we reach the point that we can say there is no CWD in the Kootenays, that will be because there are no animals to infect. When it comes to game populations, gone is gone. The choice does indeed seem to be kill them all now or let most die later.
Ultimately, the emergence of prion related disease may be something for which we will have no answer. Right now, we seem to be aiming for the goal of having no CWD in deer in this region, but only because we will also have no deer. The prion will continue to exist in the environment, helped in this by host animals such as rodents. GD
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by GreyDog
The choice does indeed seem to be kill them all now or let most die later.
You’re leaving out the option of reducing population levels — not eliminating them — to lower CWD prevalence, not eradicate it. We can’t get rid of the disease, but we can take steps to keep infection rates low, instead of doing nothing and watching it climb past 90%. Watch the video I linked, its informative.
Either way, population levels will decline.
Originally Posted by GreyDog
My point is, there doesn't seem to be a truly viable approach to elimination of the disease.
Everybody agrees on that. It's here to stay. But, there is a viable approach to prevent ALL of the deer from getting it.
Last edited by KootenayKiller; 03-20-2025 at 04:27 PM.
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by GreyDog
Most of the East Kootenay is also cattle grazing land. Since cattle are also ungulates, is there any evidence that they contract and/or spread CWD? GD
CWD does not impact all ungulates, just cervids. Cows have their own form Mad Cow Disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as do humans Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD))
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
I thought a couple things were interesting, listening to the talk in Cranbrook:
- There are no current plans to liberalize hunting in the high risk zone. Just continue to monitor and keep the status quo. Maybe sampling a small number of urban deer but that's it
- they don't actually have a good sense of how many deer we have on the landscape, therefore no clear target on what we should be targeting for as a population density to try and slow down the spread of CWD
So... Basically the plan for now is to just test, wait and see. And re-evaluate at a later date.
Last edited by KootenayKiller; 03-20-2025 at 06:55 PM.
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
I accept that populations will never be allowed to return to previous levels. I am just under no illusion that we can stop or eradicate CWD. Over this past winter, I should have taken in heads from predator kills I had on my place. Especially since they are among the more likely to have been infected. In the future, I'll do so. I am simply saddened at the knowledge that everything I grew up with is gone. If it is possible to keep the infection rate down, I'm all for it. I'm simply stating the fact; we are killing deer, so they won't die. My question about the cattle is not so much about potential infection, which I know doesn't occur (yet), as about the potential for spread of infection.
Ultimately, the situation is what it is, but I find it incredibly sad. GD
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by GreyDog
I accept that populations will never be allowed to return to previous levels. I am just under no illusion that we can stop or eradicate CWD. Over this past winter, I should have taken in heads from predator kills I had on my place. Especially since they are among the more likely to have been infected. In the future, I'll do so. I am simply saddened at the knowledge that everything I grew up with is gone. If it is possible to keep the infection rate down, I'm all for it. I'm simply stating the fact; we are killing deer, so they won't die. My question about the cattle is not so much about potential infection, which I know doesn't occur (yet), as about the potential for spread of infection.
Ultimately, the situation is what it is, but I find it incredibly sad. GD
Yeah. It is sad. The same can be said for much of the wilderness we enjoy now - it probably will never be as pristine again, as long as we are around.
The cup half full perspective, is that life finds a way. Prion diseases have been occurring for thousands of years. This strain is just particularly bad for whatever reason, and I'm sure that humans being on the landscape don't help, between farming of cervids and transporting around infected materials. I do imagine that given enough time, whether that is 10, 100, or 1000 years, that our wildlife will evolve resistance to this disease.
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
The evidence is fairly strong that this particular prion caused disease had its origins in farmed deer. There is no doubt it was imported into Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Now, we have had one positive test on a deer in a specific location. A location where a small group of mule deer regularly lick. Should that entire group be killed now? The lick has to be contaminated. Can we reliably test soil samples yet?
What have results been from further up the trench, like Windermere? GD
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by KootenayKiller
There's no "good" way to deal with CWD. It sucks. From what I understand, the best we can do is a three-pronged approach:
1) Testing and Monitoring
2) Reducing population density where positives are detected
3) Preventing transport of carcasses, etc. to reduce spread
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like where we're falling short is point #2. I highly doubt the COs have enough resources to kill enough animals in the EK to make a difference. Hunters should be the tool that is used. We've already had five CWD cases detected near Cranbrook—so why haven't the regulations been adjusted to allow for increased hunter harvest of deer, elk, and moose in these areas? When I spoke to a local CO, I was told this isn’t happening because of political pushback—many hunters are already upset about reduced population densities compared to years gone by. In terms of public opinion, it's a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.
In the U.S., regions that resisted liberalizing harvest rates now have sky-high CWD prevalence. Meanwhile, areas that took more aggressive action have managed to keep levels low. At the end of the day, who wants to hunt in an area with lots of ungulates but a 90% CWD rate? I’d much rather hunt a zone that’s been thinned out but only has 2–5% prevalence—because I’m in it for edible meat, not to take home a prion-infected animal that needs to be discarded. Failing to slow the spread also means other areas will be affected sooner than they might otherwise.
What about #3 if its just around the cranbrook area, do they feel it was some deer that traveled up from states or alberta, or was it brought in from some hunter killed deer from out of province that may of
dumped the scrapes etc in this area.
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by LBM
What about #3 if its just around the cranbrook area, do they feel it was some deer that traveled up from states or alberta, or was it brought in from some hunter killed deer from out of province that may of
dumped the scrapes etc in this area.
One can only speculate as to how it first arrived in the EK. Look at the map of confirmed positives, it is all over the 4-3 MU - there was a positive 50km South-East of Cranbrook. That's a large area with plenty of hiding holes for sick deer. It is likely present in neighboring MUs as well already. It's also south of Creston in the U.S., so that area will likely get it soon.
It will inevitably spread to other regions in BC. If the government allowed hunters to hammer the areas where we know that it's already present, with increased bag limits, we could slow it down. Seems like the government would rather wait for the situation to get worse before they let hunters thin out the populations in these areas. Seems kind of dumb to me, but what do I know.
Last edited by KootenayKiller; 03-22-2025 at 01:48 PM.
Re: BC Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
Originally Posted by KootenayKiller
One can only speculate as to how it first arrived in the EK. Look at the map of confirmed positives, it is all over the 4-3 MU - there was a positive 50km South-East of Cranbrook. That's a large area with plenty of hiding holes for sick deer. It is likely present in neighboring MUs as well already. It's also south of Creston in the U.S., so that area will likely get it soon.
It will inevitably spread to other regions in BC. If the government allowed hunters to hammer the areas where we know that it's already present, with increased bag limits, we could slow it down. Seems like the government would rather wait for the situation to get worse before they let hunters thin out the populations in these areas. Seems kind of dumb to me, but what do I know.
What were the results of the population reduction they just did?
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Originally Posted by GreyDog
