SPOKANE INDIAN RESERVATION, Wash. – Officials from the Spokane Tribe Department of Natural Resources have announced the first suspected positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Reported to the Spokane Tribal Wildlife Program (STWP) on November 10, the detection came from a white-tailed deer harvested in the Drum Road area in late October. The Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Bozeman processed the sample through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing, which yielded a positive result.
STWP staff are collaborating with the lab to confirm the sample using a more definitive immunohistochemistry test. The hunter was notified, and the animal is being disposed of at the CWD disposal pit in the Wellpinit landfill.
This suspected positive case has raised concerns for STWP officials, who expressed that deer, elk and moose are essential to the ecosystem and cultural practices.
Since 2022, the program has sampled 877 animals for CWD testing, including 168 animals in the 2025 season. An initial detection in 2024 prompted the STWP and Spokane Tribal Wildlife Committee to increase CWD surveillance and revise hunting regulations.
STWP officials urged hunters to get their harvest tested, avoid handling high-risk parts, dispose of carcasses properly and report sick wildlife to the Spokane Tribe Department of Natural Resources at 509-626-4400.
