OUTDOOR HUB
Daniel Xu | March 14, 2014
No additional cases of CWD have been detected in Missouri deer harvested in the 2013 season.
Image courtesy Noppadol Paothong/Missouri Department of Conservation
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced on Tuesday that recent testing of hunter-harvested deer from 2013 showed no signs of chronic wasting disease (CWD). Missouri’s history with the disease began in 2010 when a captive deer in Linn County tested positive for CWD. In 2012, that number increased to five, prompting concerns that the disease was spreading among the state’s deer population. No cases have been found this year, but that does not necessarily mean that CWD is gone from the state.
“While I am cautiously optimistic that these latest test results suggest our efforts to limit the spread of CWD may be working, the threat of this infectious disease remains significant,” said MDC wildlife veterinarian Kelly Straka. “Therefore, continued surveillance is important.”