What kind of testing and surveillance is in place in Montana on native deer and elk, and on alternative livestock farms and what are the results?
FWP has conducted statewide sampling of wild deer and elk for CWD since 1998, with approximately 9,300 animals taken by hunters showing no CWD infections. Since 2002, FWP has concentrated sampling efforts in northeastern and southeastern Montana along borders with states and provinces where CWD is known to occur. FWP also tests elk and deer that display clinical symptoms that suggest CWD and none of these animals have tested positive. Old age, other diseases and chronic malnutrition can result in symptoms similar to CWD. Any elk or deer that dies on a licensed alternative livestock facility in Montana must be tested for CWD by law. Nearly 3,800 animals to date have tested negative for CWD. The only positive animals found were the nine that tested positive at the Philipsburg alternative livestock facility in 1999.
Related Questions
- Could reintroduced elk transmit diseases to domestic livestock and native wildlife, especially since the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a captive white-tailed deer in north Missouri?
- What kind of testing and surveillance is in place in Montana on native deer and elk, and on alternative livestock farms and what are the results?
- Can livestock get the disease from infected deer or elk?
