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MARYVILLE

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News Brief

June 6, 2019 |  By: Lily Lopez

MDC increasing efforts to slow spread of deer disease

The Missouri Department of Conservation is increasing its efforts, through proposed regulations, to slow the spread of the deer disease called Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD. Statewide News Services Coordinator, Joe Jerek, says these efforts were spurred on after finding cases of CWD had traveled much farther than is usual.

"MDC research shows that it's highly unlikely that Chronic Wasting Disease is being spread to new areas from the natural movement of deer.  For example, we found some new cases that are more than 60 miles from any known cases.  What we know is that deer really don't travel that far on their own.  So that leaves people as the most likely way the disease is spreading."

Jerek says the proposed regulations would not affect deer hunters, meat processors, and taxidermists who already properly process and dispose deer carcasses.

"The ban on whole deer carcasses being brought into the state also limit the movement of deer carcasses within the areas where we have found CWD or Chronic Wasting Disease.  The new regulations would also require meat processors and taxidermists to discard carcasses from deer really in proper places such as permitted landfills, and also to keep records of that."

The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking for input from the public on the proposed regulations through early August at short.mdc.mo.gov/Z49. More information on CWD can be found on the Missouri Department of Conservation's website.