OTTUMWA —
Hunters more interested in preserving Iowa wildlife than they are in a meal have been assisting scientists in their own hunt.
Scientist Dale Garner, bureau chief of wildlife for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is on the hunt for animals that test positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer.
At this time, he said, there is no “live test” for the disease. The brain and lymph nodes must be taken to a lab for testing — like they had been doing with 40,000 samples over the past 10 years as they waited for the disease to strike Iowa.
To get more samples, especially from the Davis and Wapello county area, the DNR is asking hunters to submit their deer for testing.
A game warden can provide instructions for carcass pickup or the location of potential common drop-off sites.
There have already been three cases detected in Iowa, including one in Davis County. But all of those are in enclosed breeding pens. That could make it easier to isolate and control CWD.
If a deer out in the uncontrolled wilderness has the always-fatal (to deer) and highly contagious disease, it could prove far more difficult to control.
In parts of Colorado, the disease has been present around 20 years. The wild deer population has decreased by 40 percent in those areas.
But hunters have to be pretty dedicated outdoor enthusiasts because there are difficulties when helping track and control the disease.
When hunters with the proper license shoot a deer, they are generally free to do with it as they please. Some hunters will take the deer to a locker service, where the professionals will help turn the animal into a freezer full of meat.
But some lockers won’t touch a deer that’s had it’s head removed, fearing liability, perhaps, or that the deer must be a disease victim. The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization do not recommend eating deer with CWD. But the test results can be months in coming.
But this isn’t a threat to public safety or health. Garner, other DNR officials and a representative of the USDA all say the disease does not affect humans or animals outside of the deer family (deer, elk and moose).
Several members of the public said at a recent meeting that they’ve seen studies on the Internet stating people and cattle can catch it.
That’s not what the science from credible sources is saying, Garner said. When scientists fed the disease to cattle, they showed no signs of it.
He believes there’s no natural way to transmit the disease from deer to cattle. And yes, he acknowledged, there was one Internet researcher who injected the disease directly into cows’ brains. They did test positive for the disease. But no, he doesn’t consider that a natural mode of disease transmission.
In fact, between deer, it’s a lot easier. Those “salt blocks” some nature lovers put out for deer, for example, are a danger. Garner said an infected deer licks the salt block, followed a while later by a healthy deer. Every deer enjoying that salt block could end up infected.
Dumping an infected carcass improperly can also spread the wasting disease more quickly.
Between deer, nose-to-nose contact and social grooming are two easy ways to transmit CWD. That’s why hunters are being asked to take animals from around the quarantined pen. Could one of the potentially infected Davis County animals have nuzzled a wild deer through the fence?
The broad center of the area to investigate is the Wapello/Davis county border close to the rural Kress Avenue. For larger-scale maps, use the county border and Highway 63 to find the general center point of the area in question. The DNR wants 500 samples taken 20 miles or less from that area with most coming from within five miles in any direction.
For your information
Game warden cell numbers:
Matt Rush — 641-777-7805
Bob Stuchel — 641-777-2169
Sugema Wildlife Unit — 641-799-0793
Local News
Scientists need deer hunters’ help
Cooperation may help track and control chronic wasting disease
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