Missouri game officials urge chronic wasting disease testing

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri game officials are urging hunters to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease ahead of the start of firearms deer season.

The opening day of firearms deer season was Saturday. Deer testing is voluntary in Barry, Christian, Douglas, McDonald, Ozark, Stone and Taney counties, but mandatory in other parts of Missouri where the disease is known to exist, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

Chronic wasting is a neurological disease that affects animals such as deer, elk and moose. The degeneration of the brain leads to lack of coordination, paralysis, excessive salivation, unusual behavior and emaciation. CWD is 100 percent fatal in deer, and there currently is no vaccination or cure.

The disease hasn't been found in southwest Missouri, but game officials fear a significant outbreak across the state line in Arkansas along the Buffalo River. The Missouri Department of Conservation said more than 100 cases of the disease in deer and elk have been found in northwest Arkansas.

"Early detection in Chronic Wasting Disease is critical because once the disease is well established in an area, it is impossible to eradicate," MDC Wildlife Division chief Jason Sumners said.

"We want our kids and grandkids to grow up being able to hunt and watch a healthy and strong deer population in the state. CWD could destroy that," he said. "The simplest thing hunters can do to help is to get their harvested deer tested."

Testing is available at some conservation department offices and involves removing some lymph nodes from the deer's neck that are later looked at in a lab setting. The lymph node samples can take several weeks to analyze. The department will continue to test road-killed and sick-looking deer, however MDC also encourages people to let the department know if they find a deer that appears sick.

Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com