Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in New Area
December 13, 2022PIERRE, S.D. – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently confirmed in a new area in southeastern South Dakota. Confirmation of the disease was obtained from a hunter-harvested adult male white-tailed deer in southern Union County along the Missouri River.
South Dakota has now confirmed CWD in 20 counties, and this is the third county where CWD has been detected in free-ranging deer east of the Missouri River in South Dakota.
GFP has been testing hunter-harvested deer for CWD in Union County since a male white-tailed deer tested positive for CWD less than two years ago near Sioux City, Iowa.
The GFP Commission modified carcass transportation and disposal regulations for the entire state that became effective for the 2021 hunting seasons. The goal of the new CWD regulations is to help reduce the artificial spread of CWD into new areas of South Dakota.
CWD is a fatal brain disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. Most harvested individuals with CWD will appear healthy and display no clinical signs. Animals in the later stages of infection with CWD may show progressive loss of weight and body condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation, loss of muscle control and eventual death. CWD is always fatal for the afflicted animal. CWD poses serious problems for wildlife managers, and the implications of long-term management for free-ranging deer and elk is unknown.
For more information on CWD, visit gfp.sd.gov/chronic-wasting-disease or contact your local GFP office.
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