Chronic Wasting Disease
(CWD)
What is it?
Chronic Wasting Disease is a rare, fatal, neurological disease found in cervids, members of the deer
family. It is a transmissible disease that slowly attacks the brain of infected deer and elk, causing the animals to progressively become emaciated, display abnormal behavior and invariably results in the death of the infected animal. CWD poses a significant threat to the deer and elk of North America and, if unchecked, could dramatically alter the future management of wild deer and elk.
Evidence has shown that the disease can pass from cervid to cervid by direct contact through saliva, urine, and feces, and by indirect contact through environmental contamination with infective substances. There is no known treatment for CWD and it is always fatal. Currently there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk for humans or domestic animals.
History of CWD in New York State
In April of 2002, DEC initiated a program to collect tissue samples to test for CWD in wild white-tailed deer populations throughout New York State. The sampling program required DEC to collect from 800 to 1,000 samples each year, with more samples collected from counties with larger deer populations, and fewer samples collected from counties with less deer. These samples were submitted to United States Department of Agriculture-approved laboratories for testing.
The first positive result in a wild deer was announced on April 27, 2005 and came from a yearling white-tailed deer sampled from the Town of Verona, Oneida County. The second positive result was from a three year old doe, located within a mile of the location where the initial positive result was detected. These are the first known occurrences of CWD in wild deer in New York State.
On April 8, 2005, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) completed testing of the captive white-tailed deer herds in New York. CWD was detected in five deer from two captive herds in Oneida County.
After CWD was discovered in these two captive herds, DEC established a Containment Area around the CWD positive samples and, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program,
implemented an intensive monitoring program on the local wild deer population. The first phase of this
intensive monitoring was completed on April 30, 2005, resulting in 290 samples of wild deer from Oneida County, two from neighboring Madison County, and 25 wild deer from the Town of Arietta, Hamilton County. CWD was detected in two wild white-tailed deer collected during this intensive sampling effort. The second phase of the program involves testing of roadkill deer and all hunter-killed in the Oneida-Madison County CWD Containment Area. Additionally, DEC has continued CWD surveillance outside the Containment Area and annually tests about 1,500 deer from throughout the State.
CWD in New York today
New York currently has a vigilant wildlife disease monitoring program in place, comprised of three main
components: a regulatory component, designed to reduce the risk of bringing the disease into NY from
other parts of the country and minimizing its spread if it is brought here; an ongoing field surveillance
program to ensure the early detection of CWD; and an agency response plan in the event that CWD is
found.
NY’s CWD regulation went into effect July 30, 2003, and was amended on July 14, 2004. It includes the
following:
` A restriction on the importation of live deer and elk;
` A restriction on the importation and possession of certain animal parts and carcasses;
` A restriction on the liberation of wild or captive deer and elk;
` A certain, specified exemption for transportation of deer and elk carcasses and parts through New York;
` Reporting requirements for taxidermists that handle deer, elk or moose;
` A restriction on deer feeding; and
` A restriction on the sale of feed for wild white-tailed deer.
The state Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Agriculture and Markets (DAM), and
Health (DOH), together with the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) are cooperating to develop a comprehensive statewide response to
the threat of CWD. Together they are actively participating with other agencies and organizations in
nationwide efforts to learn more about this disease and to prevent its spread.
Update 11.16.09:
DEC advises that since the discovery of CWD in two free-ranging deer in Oneida County in 2005, over 6,500 deer in the CWD containment area and almost 27,000 samples statewide have been tested. No additional cases of CWD have been detected.
Much more detailed information on CWD, questions and answers, and an interactive map detailing test
results for White-tailed Deer harvested within the Oneida-Madison Containment Area during the current
hunting seasons are available on the DEC website. Click here to view the DEC webpage.
Information contained on this page was provided by NYS DEC.