By Lyonel Doherty
A fatal, infectious disease among deer, elk, moose and caribou is concerning biologists and East Kootenay regional directors.
After hearing a presentation about chronic wasting disease on March 8, board members expressed worry about its potential spread.
Holger Bohm from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship spoke on behalf of wildlife health biologist Cait Nelson. He noted the disease, caused by an abnormal protein (prion), accumulates in the body and attacks the central nervous system which leads to neurological disease and death. It particularly threatens conservation values in cervids, such as white-tail and mule deer.
“Most affected animals look normal . . . it takes a while for the protein to get a hold of the host,” Bohm said, adding the disease weakens the animal and makes it slower. But the problem is hard to detect and you rarely see the effects in the wild, he pointed out.
Bohm said the disease has been in the US and Canada for a while, and if left unchecked, its prevalence will definitely increase.
In a free range population there can be up to 25 per cent prevalence, and in high density pockets it can jump to 50 per cent, he explained.
Bohm reported there were two confirmed cases of the disease in the Kootenay region on January 31: a mule deer that was harvested by a hunter, and a white-tail deer that was killed on a roadway.
As a result, an incident management team was established to assess the risk and monitor the movement of the disease, he said.
“We’re keeping a very close eye on that to assess the risk of that disease spreading from those two first positives we found.”
Bohm said that under the Animal Health Act there will be increased mandatory testing and a restriction of the transfer of carcasses. Disposal sites will also be designated.
He said the next steps include testing roadkill and getting hunters on board to submit samples (heads).
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“The message is we need all the samples we can get our hands on to detect where the disease is sitting,” Bohm told directors, adding that early detection will help address the problem.
He noted there are three options available to the ministry: eliminate, suppress, and monitor. But he admitted that trying to get rid of the disease doesn’t work since it’s “almost impossible to kill” because the prion can survive in grass (that deer eat) for many years.
Suppressing the disease seems to work better, Bohm pointed out, adding that it will increase dramatically if nothing is done.
He stressed they must “listen to the experts” and apply effective strategies.
“Hunters are a key demographic that we need to work with,” he noted, citing that public support is critical.
In her report, Nelson said if nothing is done to curtail the disease there will be long-term irreversible impacts, such as fewer animals and decreased hunting opportunities.
“The medicine doesn’t taste good but it (our strategies) could work,” she said.
Regional director Steve Fairbairn, mayor of Elkford, commented the issue is “terribly important” and a “critical time in history.” He then asked if urban deer culls are worthwhile as a preventative measure to help control the potential spread of the disease in the southeast Kootenays.
Bohm said yes, noting the urban deer population is at greater risk, pointing to white-tail and mule deer. “I think it’s more of an issue of which animals group up more.”
Another board director admitted it is a “sad day for wildlife” in the east Kootenays.
Bohn was asked if range cattle can pick up the disease. The answer was no; it does not spread to livestock which has its own disease called “mad cow.”
Area F director Susan Clovechok asked if the disease is always fatal. Again, Bohm said yes.
“It takes a while but it’s almost absolutely fatal,” he stated, adding it can take two or three years before the animal dies. Totally healthy-looking animals can carry it.”
Another director asked if the disease can move through the food chain, via wolves, for example.
Bohm said trappers like to use road kill as bait, and if the diseased meat is eaten, the disease can spread. He also noted that deer and elk can get the disease through nose contact and by eating prion infected grass.
It is even possible for turkey vultures to spread the disease from disposal sites, Bohm said.
Board chair Rob Gay admitted that what he heard during the presentation was “scary,” adding that he became very concerned when he read about the two first confirmed cases.
