Submitted by Barb Facklemayer
When chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in BC for the first time in early 2024, the Shuswap Band decided to start their own monitoring program.
The disease, which affects cervids (deer, elk, moose, and caribou), is 100 per cent fatal as there is no vaccine or cure. The impact of CWD on cervid populations depends on many factors, but when there is a lack of management the declines can be over 40 per cent.
There is no direct evidence that consumption of meat from CWD- infected animals or other types of exposure cause disease in humans, however, the BC government and the World Health Organization do not recommend eating meat from CWD-positive animals. CWD- positive meat has been suspected of causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which is the human variation of CWD. The disease is also fatal in humans.
The BC government has been surveilling for CWD in cervid populations for several years. The program consists of hunters dropping off heads or lower jaws (for deer only) at designated locations. However, the program has presented challenges to some hunters. For example, if the hunter wants to keep parts of the head for cultural purposes, they cannot also drop off the head for CWD testing.
With the help of a grant from United Way BC, the Shuswap Band purchased their own freezer and testing supplies. Hunters can now drop off a head, have the samples collected and then they can re-collect the head later. The program also cuts down on wait times to receive testing results by an estimated one to two weeks.
The program is helping add to provincial surveillance efforts and hopes to keep participants free of CJD.
If you would like to drop off a head for sampling, please contact band councillor Richard Martin or Meghan Anderson, senior wildlife biologist at 250-341-3678.
