Sask. government seeking samples to test for chronic wasting disease

The Saskatchewan government is asking hunters in certain wildlife management zones in the province to submit their animals for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing.

The Ministry of Environment is looking for animals from the 2W, 9, 10, 35, 37 or 50 zones — the boreal transition zones and those along the eastern border — as there’s a risk the disease is expanding in these areas among deer, moose and elk.

CWD is an infectious central nervous system disease in animals such as deer, moose and elk. It’s always fatal in affected animals, and high infection rates can impact populations.

“Over the past 25 years, the disease has become established across most of southern Saskatchewan,” the ministry said in a media release. “It has been found in recent years in white-tailed deer in the southern boreal forest region and could spread to other species, including caribou.”

Testing is free of charge and is available for cervid species from any zone in the province, although the priority is for heads collected from the zones along the boreal fringe and the eastern border.

The government said heads can be submitted for testing at designated drop-off locations across the province throughout the hunting season. Prior to dropping off heads for testing, hunters must obtain a CWD tracking number from the cwdsk.ca website.

More information on drop-off sites and how to submit a sample for testing is available on the government’s website.

“Although there are no documented cases of CWD in humans, hunters are advised to refrain from eating or distributing meat that has tested positive,” the release said. “If your animal tests positive, you should dispose of the carcass and meat.

“Processed meat may be double-bagged and disposed of in regular household waste, in limited quantities. Carcasses and larger amounts of meat should be disposed of in a landfill. Please contact your local landfill operator prior to disposal, as not all landfills accept animal carcasses.”