MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
JEFFERSON CITY - Some are concerned that a degenerative brain disease similar to "Mad Cow" disease may enter Missouri with wild deer and elk, prompting a series of legislative and regulatory proposals designed to limit the potential public health hazard.
Known as Chronic Wasting Disease, the illness affects the nervous system and has been linked to holes found in the brains of elk and deer. Symptoms included weight loss, chronic pneumonia, loss of coordination, depression and death.
First identified in wildlife research facilities, it has been found in approximately five percent of free-roaming deer and less than one percent of free-roaming elk in Colorado.
Chronic Wasting Disease seems more likely to occur in areas where deer or elk are crowded or where they congregate at man-made feed and water stations. The deaths of more than 80 Britons have been linked to "Mad Cow" disease, but there is no evidence that Chronic Wasting Disease poses a danger to humans.
"Wild deer and elk have the potential to be chronically infected with Tuberculosis, Brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease," said Dr. Jeff Tyler, an expert in ruminant diseases at the Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
"Michigan has recently experienced an outbreak of Tuberculosis and Brucellosis and Colorado has had experiences associated with widespread infection with Chronic Wasting Disease," Tyler said. "We would prefer not to see either disease reintroduced."
Such concerns prompted Rep. Michael Reid, R-St. Louis County, to propose a ban on the release of wild elk in Missouri through 2011.
Many scientists believe there is a biological barrier that protects other species, though Reid said he was concerned that the disease would spread to Missouri's cattle and white-tailed deer population.
There are studies that show only one or two wild elk migrated to Missouri over a recent one-and-a-half year period, but Reid said he believes there is a real danger in the importation of the elks that grow up in captivity.
The Missouri Department of Conservation disagrees, however.
"The Conservation Commission has voted to not reintroduce wild elk in Missouri," said Gerald Ross, the department's assistant director. "We do not need legislation requiring the Department of Conservation to pay for any damages that may occur from wild elk as has been proposed in the legislation."
"Issues of disease and potential damages involving wild elk would have to be resolved before the Commission would further consider wild elk reintroduction," said Ross.
The Missouri Farm Bureau, a Missouri farm organization, has decided to maintain its opposition to the reintroduction of wild elk in Missouri, saying the state should retain ownership of the animals and be financially responsible for their identification and any damages they cause.
While the Division of Wildlife in Colorado has advised hunters to take simple precautions when handling the carcass of any deer or elk, hunters in Missouri are not aware about any of these specific precautions.
"Even Whitetail deer carries parasites and, when I've killed a deer, I immediately bleed and field dress the animal to quickly lower the temperature to prevent bacterial contamination," says a hunter, Charles Claassen of Missouri, who wasn't aware about the existence of such disease in elk.
"As far as the transmission of imported wild elk infected by the disease spreading it to the more commonly hunted whitetail deer, I suppose there is a risk of contamination," said Claassen. "But if the Missouri Department of Conservation does not believe there is a risk and it's unlikely for other animals to be contained, I approve its position."