The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed animals in a white-tail deer herd and two elk hunt operations in Saskatchewan have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
As a result, the CFIA has quarantined a white-tail deer herd and an elk hunt operation in the Prince Albert area along with an elk hunt farm in the Moose Jaw area, an agency spokeswoman said.
The most recent case was confirmed Tuesday in a farmed elk herd in the Prince Albert area. However, the agency spokeswoman said the quarantine would likely have been imposed while awaiting the test results. Saskatchewan’s first suspected case of CWD this year was diagnosed earlier in the month.
Chronic wasting disease is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cervids such as mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk. Black-tail deer and moose have also become infected naturally, according to the CFIA Web site. The CFIA is also tracing the movement of animals on and off the premises, the agency spokeswoman said, noting at this time no herds have been culled.
The findings of CWD is not unexpected, she said. There have been periodic findings of the disease in the deer and elk population in the province over the last 10 years.