Sunday, June 15, 2003

By Bob Gwizdz

Hunters from Michigan who kill deer or elk in states with chronic wasting disease in the free-ranging herd will have two options for disposing of the carcasses this fall, according to a proposal by the Department of Natural Resources.

Hunters may either fully bone out the carcass and bring back only meat, cape and antlers or they must take the carcass to a meat processing facility or licensed taxidermist with 72 hours after bringing it into Michigan.

The Natural Resources Commission is expected to approve the proposal at its July 11 meeting in Lansing.

The idea is to minimize the risk of exposing Michigan's deer and elk herds to CWD.

CWD is an always fatal neurological disorder of deer and elk that is caused by a prion, a mutated protein. Scientists believe it spreads among animals by contact with infected feces or saliva, but some have theorized it could be spread by contact with infected carcasses.

Meat processors and taxidermists are required to dispose of carcasses through licensed landfills.

DNR veterinarian Steve Schmitt says the action is "prudent," given what is known about the disease.

"We don't know how big of a risk (exposure to infected carcasses) it is," he said. "We rate it much, much lower than a live animal with CWD. But we know from research projects that if you take an infected live animal and put it in a pen with uninfected animals, it will transmit the disease."

The regulation will apply to any states or Canadian provinces listed in the annual hunting and trapping guide. CWD has been found in free-ranging deer and/or elk in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Utah, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Illinois and the province of Saskatchewan.

Research on whether infected carcasses can transmit the disease is on-going and probably several years from completion. Schmitt said the DNR will monitor research and amend regulations accordingly.

"We'll be watching to see if we may have to get a little tougher or if we may not have to worry about it at all," he said. "So we're going above and beyond. We're going to be as prudent as we can. We've already stopped the import of live animals. It makes sense to take this precaution also.

"The main thing is just don't be throwing it out on the back 40. The whole idea is to keep them off the landscape."

Last year, three animals killed in Colorado that later tested positive for CWD were brought into Michigan by hunters. The DNR collected the remains of those animals and incinerated them.