ENTERPRISE, Ore. — Hunters and ranchers  who come in contact with a dead deer, elk or moose are asked to bring in the heads to be  tested for chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease fatal to the animals.

Bree Furfey, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife district wildlife biologist for Wallowa County, said Dec. 9 that hunters harvested two deer in October in Idaho about 30 miles from the Oregon border. The deer tested positive for CWD.

“It’s never been close to Oregon before,” she said, adding that means there has never been a case of CWD in the state.

Furfey encouraged hunters or anyone coming upon a dead cervid to drop off the heads for disease testing. A barrel is outside the Enterprise ODFW office and the offices in La Grande and Baker City. Information on where the animal came from should be included.

According to ODFW, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has taken steps to increase surveillance to determine the prevalence of the disease in the area including via a special hunt.

Oregon, too, is ramping up CWD testing of deer and elk, especially in northeast Oregon, by asking hunters, roadkill salvagers and others to help the department look for any cases of the disease.

There are only a handful of moose in the state and there’s no legal hunting of them.

Alarming news

“The news of an Idaho detection is alarming, but we have been working for years to keep CWD out of Oregon and preparing to respond if it is detected here,” said Colin Gillin, ODFW’s state wildlife veterinarian.

Gillin has been active in national efforts to monitor and slow the spread of CWD for decades through participation in the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Health Committee.

Furfey said the positive Idaho test so close to Oregon makes it all the more alarming because once it arrives in Oregon it may be here to stay.

“There’s no effective way to eradicate it once it becomes established,” she said.

She said there’s also no cure or vaccine for the disease.

The ODFW already has emailed tag holders for deer and elk hunts in select northeastern Oregon units requesting they provide parts from their deer or elk for testing. Barrels placed at various locations will make it easier for these hunters to submit a head for sampling by biologists and veterinarians.

Beginning in 2022, it will be mandatory for anyone transporting wildlife carcasses or parts to stop at a check station if they encounter one and to allow their animal to be tested.

A cervid parts import ban also remains in effect: Oregon residents or those traveling through who are returning from hunting out of state may not bring in certain cervid parts that contain brain or spinal cord tissues as these are known to be tissues of CWD concentration in infected animals.

Several hunters have been cited for violating this regulation, most recently in Klamath County. Oregonians who hunt in other states also need to be aware of and follow that state’s regulations for CWD.

Furfey said that ODFW has been closely watching for CWD since the late 1990s and has tested more than 23,000 samples since then. No tests have returned positive, she said.

She said it is not believed that CWD can be transmitted to humans, pets or livestock, but it is always fatal to cervids. She said it comes from a protein that lives in the environment and can for several years while passing between animals.

She said if an animal tests positive, it is recommended to not eat the meat.

Symptoms

As for symptoms of CWD, a cervid may have the disease for months or years before it becomes apparent.

“You can harvest a perfectly looking animal and not be able to tell,” Furfey said.

Symptoms include staggering, poor posture, a wide stance, apparent disorientation, lowered ears, an emaciated appearance, consuming lots of water and drooling.

“But again, it could take months or years for those symptoms to show up,” she said.

Furfey said anyone with questions may call the ODFW’s Enterprise office at 541-426-3279 and talk to a wildlife biologist. ODFW also has offices in La Grande and Baker City.