A domestic bull elk in Madison County, Idaho, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

The detection marks the first case identified in a captive elk facility in the state, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, which received the confirmation Dec. 19.

The contagious and fatal neurological disease affects cervidae family members deer, elk and moose. It was first detected in the wild in Idaho, in the northern region, in 2021. There is no known cure.

ISDA regulates captive cervid farms with respect to record keeping, disease testing, movement and permit requirements.

The domestic elk died at the Madison County facility and tissue samples were submitted for routine testing, according to an ISDA news release. The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the disease.

The infected animal was among a group of elk transported to the Idaho ranch in March 2023 from a ranch in Alberta, Canada. The Idaho elk facility met the requirements for international movements and was approved to import the animals.

Soon after the shipment was received in Idaho, the ranch of origin in Alberta confirmed a CWD-positive elk on its premises, according to the release. Once ISDA was notified, the shipment that arrived in Idaho was placed under a protective quarantine.

All remaining elk that arrived in the 2023 shipment are alive and will remain under state-issued quarantine.

Concerns around CWD include quick spread among animals in a confined space and avoiding spread between wild and domestic animals, state veterinarian Scott Leibsle of ISDA told Capital Press. Limiting interaction between domestic and wild animals is a goal of the state’s existing program and requirements for domestic facilities.

In this case, the source is known and the domestic herd is far from where Idaho Fish and Game has detected the disease in the wild, he said. The investigation remains open.

“We will evaluate this facility and look at all the different factors,” Leibsle said. A management plan for the facility will be developed to limit spread within the herd.

ISDA has notified Fish and Game and will move forward working with the affected facility pursuant to the state’s restrictions, according to the release.