Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, TPWD, 512-389-4701,
steve.lightfoot@tpwd.texas.gov
Callie McNulty, TAHC, 512-719-0728,
callie.mcnulty@tahc.texas.gov
July 1, 2015
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Medina County Captive Deer
AUSTIN – A two-year-old white-tailed deer in a Medina County deer breeding facility has been confirmed positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This is the first case of CWD detected in captive white-tailed deer in Texas. CWD was first detected in Texas in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer in the Hueco Mountains in far West Texas.
The Medina County tissue samples submitted by the breeder facility in early June as part of routine deer mortality surveillance revealed the presence of CWD during testing at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) in College Station. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the findings on Tuesday, June 30.
An epidemiological investigation to determine the extent of the disease, assess risks to Texas’ free ranging deer and protect the captive deer and elk breeding industry is being led by the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), in coordination with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services (USDA/APHIS/VS).
Officials have taken immediate action to secure all cervids at the Medina County breeder facility with plans to conduct additional investigation for CWD. In addition, those breeder facilities that have received deer from the Medina County facility or shipped deer to that facility during the last two years are under movement restrictions and cannot move or release cervids at this time. TPWD is disallowing liberation of captive deer from all breeder facilities into the wild at this time pending further review. Additional measures to further minimize risk of CWD spreading into Texas’ free-ranging white-tailed deer herd, and to protect the captive deer breeding industry, will be considered.
“This is a terribly unfortunate development that we are committed to addressing as proactively, comprehensively, and expeditiously as possible. The health of our state’s wild and captive deer herds, as well as affiliated hunting, wildlife, and rural based economies, are vitally important to Texas hunters, communities, and landowners. As such, our primary objectives are to determine the source of the disease and to identify other deer breeding facilities and release sites that may have received deer from affected facilities,” said Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director. “Working collaboratively with experts in the field we have developed protocols to address CWD, and our implementation efforts are already well under way.”
The TPWD and the TAHC CWD Management Plan will guide the State’s response to this incident. The plan was developed by the State’s CWD Task Force, which is comprised of deer and elk breeders, wildlife biologists, veterinarians and other animal-health experts from TPWD, TAHC, TVMDL, Department of State Health Services, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, and USDA.
Since 2002, the state has conducted surveillance throughout Texas for the disease. More than 34,000 samples collected from hunter-harvested and road kill deer have been tested for CWD.
Although animal health and wildlife officials cannot say how long or to what extent the disease has been present in the Medina County deer breeding facility, the breeder has had an active CWD surveillance program since 2006 with no positives detected until now.
“We are working with experts at the local, state and federal level, to determine the extent of this disease, and respond appropriately to limit further transmission,” said Dr. Andy Schwartz, TAHC Epidemiologist and Assistant Executive Director. “Strong public awareness and the continued support of the cervid industry is paramount to the success of controlling CWD in Texas.”
The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado. CWD has also been documented in captive and/or free-ranging deer in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces. CWD among cervids is a progressive, fatal disease that commonly results in altered behavior as a result of microscopic changes made to the brain of affected animals. An animal may carry the disease for years without outward indication, but in the latter stages, signs may include listlessness, lowering of the head, weight loss, repetitive walking in set patterns, and a lack of responsiveness. To date there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans or non-cervids. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend not to consume meat from infected animals.
More information on CWD can be found on TPWD’s website,
www.tpwd.texas.gov/CWD or at the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website,
www.cwd-info.org.
More information about the TAHC CWD program may be found at
http://tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/cwd/cwd.html.
From the Texas Wildlife Association:
Resolution Statement on Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas
WHEREAS, public values of wildlife benefit all Texans, be they direct or indirect, some with measurable qualities and some with immeasurable qualities, all of which are integral to the overall well-being of our society; and
WHEREAS, hunting has been integral in financing wildlife conservation and management in Texas for well over 100 years through license fees, excise taxes, funds raised by hunting/conservation groups, and financial benefits derived from hunters' spending; and
WHEREAS, the health of wildlife, and the integrity of wildlife practices, may impact wildlife and agricultural markets that are important to Texas economies and cultures; and
WHEREAS, diseases can and do impact the health of wildlife populations, livestock, and farm crops, and diseases can impact markets which support industries affiliated with such wildlife, livestock, and farm crops; and
WHEREAS, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) may pose a threat to the biological, ecological, and financial health of wildlife populations and to the broad wildlife-related economies in Texas, as well as to the working lands that supply a multitude of societal benefits to all Texas citizens; and
WHEREAS, CWD is a member of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Family (TSE), and it is known that other TSEs have caused harm to livestock and livestock-related markets, as well as to human health; and
Now therefore, be it resolved, the undersigned organizations and individuals (Undersigned), whose collective membership includes hunters, wildlife biologists, wildlife enthusiasts, ranchers, farmers, and other Texas citizens, are concerned over the findings of CWD in Medina and Hudspeth Counties, Texas, and Undersigned supports measures to effectively address risks associated with CWD in Texas; and
FURTHER, Undersigned supports reasonable and effective regulatory protocols put into place by agencies (Agencies) including, but not necessarily limited to, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Animal Health Commission; and
FURTHER, Undersigned recognizes that such reasonable and effective CWD-related protocols may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following safeguards: testing of CWD susceptible animals; restrictions on movement of live CWD susceptible animals; testing of hunter-harvested CWD susceptible animals from high risk areas; and
FURTHER, Undersigned recommends that such CWD-related protocols err on the side of safety in protecting our state's wildlife resources, err on the side of safety in protecting livestock and farming interests, and err on the side of safety in protecting human health; and
FURTHER, Undersigned supports timely, clear, and transparent communication from Agencies to various wildlife, hunting, ranching, and farming stakeholder organizations, as related news develops on CWD in Texas; and
FURTHER, Undersigned recommends that Agencies provide public news releases and education-related materials to be dispensed to the public to help inform and educate the public on CWD; and
FURTHER, Undersigned recommends that Agencies and the Texas Legislature continue to seek regulatory refinement through best management practices which help minimize risks associated CWD and other potentially harmful diseases.
Executed this 13th day of July, 2015, and affirmed and supported by the organizations and individuals named on the attached signature pages which are made a part hereof for all purposes.
Borderlands Research Institute
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute
Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Texas Wildlife and Fisheries Management Council
Texas Wildlife Association
Texans For Saving Our Hunting Heritage
Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas
Linear Mode
