Posted on April 6, 2015
Madison — Despite sampling the second-lowest number of deer in Wisconsin’s 14-year CWD-testing program in 2014, the DNR documented a record 6.1-percent disease rate, as 329 of 5,414 tested whitetails carried the fatal brain disease.
This was the third straight year the rate of chronic wasting disease exceeded 5 percent of tested deer, and was the third straight year the number of sick deer exceeded 325.
The only year in which the DNR collected fewer samples than in 2014 was 2011, when it collected 5,313. The four lowest years for CWD sampling have all occurred since the current administration took office in January 2011.
The DNR soft-peddled the 2014 disease rates when announcing the results in early March. The headline on its news release read: “Disease sampling results provide current snapshot of CWD in Wisconsin.” And the lead paragraph simply stated that state wildlife officials tested more than 5,400 deer for CWD in 2014, and found 329 sick ones, primarily in the endemic area of southern Wisconsin.
For perspective on the meaning of 329 CWD cases in 2014, consider that the DNR collected nearly 14 times as many tests from 2001 through 2004 (75,295 samples) to find Wisconsin’s first 328 cases.
Many of those early samples came from outside the known disease area when assessing the entire state. But even when sampling became more targeted, the disease rate took until 2007 and 2008 to approach 1.5 percent, but then hit 3 percent by 2010 and 4.5 percent by 2011.
CWD is always fatal. Once deer contract it, their life expectancy is 18 months. They typically look healthy for about the first 16 months of the death sentence before showing its effects. Those signs include drooling, staggering, and stark ribs and spine outlined beneath a ratty hide. Some also lose their fear of humans, and even seek warmth by sitting against the sides of south-facing walls of homes and garages in winter.
In mentioning disease rates, the DNR news release noted a region covering northwestern Dane and northeastern Iowa counties has disease rates of 25 percent for adult bucks (2½ years and older), over 10 percent for adult females, and 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively for yearling males and females (1½ years old).
Those Dane/Iowa county prevalence rates aren’t current, however. CWD infection rates in that area hit those marks in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, they hit 27 percent and 12 percent.
The news is worse a few miles west of there in north-central Iowa County. The CWD rate there hit a record 40 percent and 22 percent, respectively, for adult bucks and does. Further, CWD rates for the area’s yearling bucks and does was 18 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
Although the DNR isn’t hiding this information, it leaves it up to citizens to find it on the agency’s website. To see how CWD is growing and spreading, go to http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/prevalence.html
Read More:
http://www.outdoornews.com/April-2015/C ... Wisconsin/
[ Post made via iPad ]
