BOUNDARY COUNTY, IDAHO. — Idaho Fish and Game recently confirmed a positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in an adult female white-tailed deer approximately three miles outside of Bonners Ferry in hunting Unit.
According to Fish and Game, this is the first known case of CWD in northern Idaho.
A landowner reported the dead deer in early July.
Fish and Game is developing a disease sampling plan for the area to assess the prevalence and distribution of CWD.
The timing of this detection allows hunters to contribute by providing samples for the effort.
There is no cure, and can only be detected in the lymph nodes or brain tissues. It can reduce populations if not controlled.
Hunters in the Panhandle should have their harvested deer and elk tested for CWD. They can bring heads of harvested animals to any regional Fish and Game office for sampling or find instructions on the Fish and Game CWD webpage for self-sampling.
Drop-off sites for heads and samples from harvested animals will be available throughout the Panhandle Region.
Click here for Fish and Game CWD drop-off locations.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), there have been no reported cases of CWD infecting people; however, the CDC recommends that people should not eat meat from an animal that tests positive for CWD.
Anyone who observes a sick deer or elk in Boundary County should call the Panhandle Region office at (208) 769-1414.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
