A district couple who raise elk near Devlin aren’t worried about a disease that has forced roughly 1,500 animals to be put down in Saskatchewan since December.
“There are no threats to our elk that have been identified,” Deb Cornell said Monday in response to the recent outbreak of chronic wasting disease (CWD) out west, the equivalent of mad cow disease.
“Apparently about 15 years ago, there were some infected elk in Colorado that were imported to Canada,” explained Cornell, who has been raising elk with her husband, Bill Darby, since 1995.
“With the growth of the industry, this disease has gone on to affect about 14 farms and I believe they have now slaughtered 1,500 animals as a result.
“It is all very sad but there are just too many questions and too many unknowns about this disease,” she stressed.
CWD affects the nervous system of cervids such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, and elk. And though there is no evidence of how the disease is being transmitted, scientists believe it can be passed from the mother to her offspring and from mucous contact between animals.
Symptoms of the fatal disease include lack of co-ordination, unusual behavior, weight loss, paralysis, difficulty swallowing, and increased thirst.
Currently no vaccine is available, which is something that concerns many people, including Cornell.
“I am not sure what they would do with the carcass of the animal once it dies or is killed,” she said. “I think they would have to bury it but I am not sure.
“I know that the only way to test whether the animal has the disease or not is after they have died. They then take a sample of the brain and only then can they find out if the animal had CWD,” she added.
“With no cure, it is important to try and determine whether an animal is sick or not so that you don’t infect any others.”
As of December, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has discovered 21 new cases of CWD, thus pushing the federal government to pay about $6 million in compensation to ranchers in Saskatchewan.
Bruce Ranta, a biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources, is not overly concerned with the recent news of CWD outbreaks. Rather, he’s more worried with the effect the news may have on the public.
“These types of diseases are widespread in mink and wild animal populations,” he noted. “There are a vast array of diseases that can do in humans. Why do we automatically assume similar diseases do not exist for animals?
“I think people just need to keep everything in perspective. There is no reason to get overly excited about the whole thing,” he stressed.
“In France, with the recent news of mad cow disease, beef consumption has dropped by 26 percent,” said Ranta. “People are so worried about the disease, and yet people know about AIDS and I don’t think sexual activity has dropped by 26 percent.
“I think information about CWD is good but I don’t think people should panic about it.”
Still, while Ranta doesn’t believe Northwestern Ontario elk farmers or hunters have anything to worry about, he does advise they take a few precautions just to be safe.
“Hunters who remove the antlers of the elk should try not to come into contact with the brain of the animal,” he remarked. “To make sure that they are safe, they should wear latex gloves.
“I would also advise that people stay away from eating any cuts of meat that come from the spinal area of the elk. CWD is carried in the spinal column as well as the brain, and it is best just to stay away from both those areas.
There is currently no evidence that the disease has affected the elk in this area but anything is possible and it is best to take safety measures,” he added.
For more information on CWD, contact the local Canadian Food Inspection Agency office at 274-5214.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
