
British Columbia (BC) has reported its first cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) announced two cases of the fatal neurodegenerative prion disease in a male mule deer and a female white-tailed deer south of Cranbrook in the Kootenay region, in the southeastern part of the province.
Officials said they have been monitoring the high-risk wildlife management areas of southeastern British Columbia that abut areas with outbreaks in Alberta, Montana, and Idaho.
"We have been watching CWD spread province to province, state to state for at least 20 years, so this is terrible news for British Columbians," Jesse Zeman, BCWF executive director, said in the news release. "CWD is devastating to cervid populations. Continued vigilance and testing are key to organizing preventative measures."
Call for better policies
Officials will ask for input and support from the CWD Advisory Committee and Regional Working Groups in the coming days, they said.
"We have failed our wildlife populations once again by underfunding the resources needed to manage them for the past 50 years," Steve Hamilton, BCWF advocacy coordinator, said in the release. "Politicians should take this as a reminder that their actions and policies matter and we will be calling for much, much better for our wildlife in the upcoming elections."
Caused by misfolded proteins called prions, CWD isn't known to infect humans or other non-cervid animals, but experts worry it could jump species. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against consuming meat from obviously ill animals or those that test positive for CWD.