Hunters in the Drumheller area are being asked to keep their heads this hunting season.
Three Wildlife Management Units (WMU’s) have been added to the list of mandatory deer head submission units as part of the mandatory fall Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance program. The Drumheller area is among those listed.
The addition of the Drumheller area comes after the disease continues to expand its distribution from eastern Alberta into the Red Deer River, Southern Saskatchewan River, and Battle River watersheds.
“In past years its been optional, but now the disease is spreading up the Red Deer River,” said Ed Hofman, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife in Drumheller.
The surveillance program requires hunters to submit all heads of the deer and elk they hunt to a freezer location. From there, the heads can be tested for CWD to better understand the spread of the disease and gauge the effectiveness of control programs.
“We’re trying to control it through increased harvest in the areas where it is known the disease is present. The disease is found in the lymph nodes at the base of the brain, so that’s why we ask hunters to submit the heads. They go to a lab in Edmonton and there technicians will test to see if the disease is there,” said Hofman.
A freezer location for deer and elk heads will be placed at 701 Railway Avenue, the UFA Cardlock. All deer and elk killed in the area must be submitted.
Hunters who submit animals that test positive for CWD will be contacted. Therefore, it is recommended hunters wait until learning the results of the test before eating any meat from their animals.
“There’s no medical evidence to show it's transmissible to humans. We do inform every hunter who submitted a positive deer, so they can decide if they want to eat it or not,” said Hofman.
CWD is a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopahty caused by prions (similar to mad cow disease). The disease is characterized by weight loss, decreased interactions with other animals, listlessness, lowing of the head, blank expression, repetitive walking in set patterns, and smell of rotting meat. Excessive salivation and grinding teeth have also been observed.
The disease is always fatal.
This past year saw the testing of 3,195 animals. Of those heads, the overall infection rate was 1.03 per cent, but was slightly higher (1.52 per cent) in mule deer. White-tailed deer had an infection rate of 0.26 per cent. All cases were detected in the CWD risk area on the eastern Alberta border.
The first case of CWD in Alberta was found in Acadia Valley, near the Saskatchewan border, in 2005.
More information about CWD and requirements for hunters can be found at www.srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife.