
An elk found dead on the Scab Creek Feedground in Elk Hunt Area 98 in Wyoming at the end of December has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported yesterday.
The hunt area, located in the Pinedale region in Sublette County, abuts three other CWD-positive elk areas: 28, 92, and 127. Sublette County is located in the west-central part of the state. This is the third reported CWD case in the hunt area and the first positive elk on a Wyoming feeding ground.
"Scab Creek feedground will be included in the Department’s first Feedground Management Action Plan (FMAP) process this year," the DNR said in a news release. "This process will explore both long-term and short-term opportunities to reduce elk reliance and disease transmission risks on feedgrounds."
Experts fear illness could one day infect people
CWD, a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by misfolded proteins called prions, can spread among cervids like deer, elk, and moose and through environmental contamination. The disease isn't known to infect people, but experts fear it could cross the species barrier.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions against eating meat from an infected animal or handling the carcass without taking precautions.