Deer Hunters are being asked to get familiar with protocols put in place to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease among deer populations. The fatal disease can affect white tailed and mule deer, but also elk, moose and reindeer.
It has been detected in 31 different states, including Ohio. With hunting season about to get underway, we spoke with Krysten Schuler — a wildlife disease ecologist and director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. She tells WYSO’s Jerry Kenney how hunters can help in the fight against chronic wasting disease.
Krysten Schuler: Sure. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of members of the Deer family, so white tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose and reindeer, and it is currently found in 31 different states, or it was detected in 31 different states, including Ohio. And so it's a disease of concern because we've got hunting season starting in a lot of states soon. So, we want to educate hunters about the disease and what they should be on the lookout for, what they should know about. And, you know, how they can help in the fight against chronic wasting disease.
Jerry Kenney: And let's talk about some of those efforts. I understand there are some restrictions that hunters will face, perhaps with the area they may choose to hunt in and other examples?
KS: Yeah. So typically, hunters are asked not to transport whole intact carcasses outside of the disease management area, and that's because prions, the causative agent of chronic wasting disease, which are essentially misfolded protein particles, can exist in the carcass. So, if a hunter shoots an animal and decides to drive it home, you know, somewhere else where CWD doesn't exist, and they go ahead and keep the meat and then they toss the rest of the carcass out in the back 40 for scavengers that could introduce prions to a new area. And so that's what we're trying to avoid.
JK: Is this something that would directly affect humans?
KS: So, there haven't been any known cases of chronic wasting disease in humans. So, these are diseases that we refer to as zoonotic, where they can go from an animal to a human. And we don't we haven't seen any evidence of that yet. But there's concern because mad cow disease, which is in the same family of diseases as chronic wasting disease, did go to humans. And so that indicates that there is potential there. And so we just want to make sure that we guard against it because these prions are not inactivated by cooking. So that really doesn't do anything to them.
JK: If I do choose to go hunting, am I safe as long as I am outside of one of the restricted areas?
KS: Well, it's so yes to your the answer to your question, I would go to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to see the maps of where you're planning to hunt, and which ones are their WD zones. And they're also doing statewide surveillance. So, you may be asked to participate in that depending on what where you are in the animal that you shoot. It's really just good to inform yourselves about what the regulations are, because each state is a little bit different. And if you live in Ohio, but you're going to another state to go hunting, it's good to not only check the state where you're going, but also check the Ohio regulations so that you can bring back your harvest in a legal manner.
JK: So, this is a statewide concern and there are testing methods that any hunter could be asked to go through.
KS: Yes. So usually for hunters, it would just be submitting a tissue sample. So, the tissues that we look for are the retro pharyngeal lymph nodes. So, if you go to the doctor and they kind of feel your glands are swollen, those are kind of the ones we're looking for, or part of the brain typically around the brainstem are the two locations that are frequently tested.
JK: Is there an increase in this chronic wasting disease over the last five, ten years?
KS: Well, Ohio didn't have it until a few years ago, and it was first discovered in a captive deer herd and subsequent deer herds around that. But then in the wild, it's been detected in a new area. And so typically that means that, you know, somehow it was introduced to that new area, probably through human activity. So, I think Ohio right now is kind of in a good position where it's not everywhere yet. And evidence from other states that have had the disease longer, like Wisconsin, shows that you really want to be serious about it at the beginning because that's your best opportunity to manage it. You might not get rid of it, but if you can keep it confined and at a low prevalence, that's the best option.
JK: Dr. Kristin Shuler, thank you so much for your time and the information today.
KS: Thank you.
