Hunters asked to help track fatal deer disease

News Release
MNR

Deer hunters in northwestern Ontario can help monitor for the presence of a fatal disease that affects the animals.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a brain disease that affects members of the deer family (deer, moose, elk and potentially caribou). The disease has never been found in wild animals in Ontario.
“Protecting Ontario’s wildlife is important to Ontarians, whether for recreation, tourism or to conserve our biodiversity,” says Chris Davies, manager of wildlife research and development for the Ministry of Natural Resources. “Chronic wasting disease has the potential to devastate wildlife populations. We want to keep it out of Ontario.”
Since 2002, the ministry has tested more than 7,000 deer from throughout their range in the province. All tests were negative for the disease.
“Hunters play a key role in our surveillance work,” Davies says. “We couldn’t do our research without their support and cooperation.”
Ministry researchers obtain deer tissue for testing in two ways. They seek out hunters with harvested deer by driving through popular deer hunting areas. Research crews will remove a small amount of tissue from the deer’s head on the spot. They also set up central freezer depots to collect tissue.
Hunters are asked to bring the heads of yearling or older deer to one of the depots as soon as possible – preferably within a few days of being harvested. Here are the locations and hours:
Kenora
Kenora MNR Office
808 Robertson Street
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-4:00pm
Closed on holidays
Fort Frances
Fort Frances MNR Office
922 Scott Street
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-4:00pm
Closed on holidays
Emo
Cloverleaf Grocery-Deer Shop
Front Street
Mon-Sat: 5:00am-6:00pm
Nestor Falls
Nestor Falls Bait & Tackle
#1 Bait and Tackle Road, Hwy 71
Depot open September 27-November 26 only
Open 7 days a week:
7:00am-7:00 pm
Dryden
K A Sports & Tackle
224 Government Street
Open 7 days a week:
7:00am-7:00 pm
Unless otherwise noted, depots will accept deer heads from September 1 to mid-December. Please call ahead if dropping off a deer head in December, as depots will close early if quotas are reached before mid-December.
About Chronic Wasting Disease
CWD was first identified in captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967, and in wild elk in Colorado in 1981. It has since been detected in deer in Alberta, Saskatchewan and 18 American states, and in wild moose in Colorado and Wyoming. States and provinces where the disease has been found have been unable to eradicate it.
CWD appears to be caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. It’s related to mad cow disease, but affects different animals. While there’s no evidence CWD can be transmitted to humans or domestic livestock, caution is advised. As a precaution, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and World Health Organization advise people not to consume animals known to be infected or that appear sick.

Regulations to Keep Chronic Wasting Disease out of Ontario
In 2005, Ontario banned the possession in Ontario of high-risk parts of deer and elk (antlers, heads, and many organs) that were harvested in other jurisdictions. That ban was extended to moose and caribou in August 2010. At the same time, the use of products that contain body parts of any member of the deer family (blood, urine, gland oils and other fluids) for the purposes of hunting in an area inhabited by wildlife was prohibited.
These steps are consistent with many other provinces and states, and supported by the best science available.