SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is investigating a potential chronic wasting disease (CWD) case in Ferry County after a private test showed a positive result in a mule deer.
The deer was tested by a private company, but WDFW’s follow-up testing was inconclusive, WDFW said in a release.
Dr. Kristin Mansfield, WDFW’s state wildlife veterinarian, emphasized the importance of further investigation.
“Even though these results come from an unapproved test, we are doing our due diligence and investigating further to gain more information about this possible detection,” Mansfield said.
The test, conducted on a muscle sample, is not officially recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or WDFW. The hunter did not submit the required sample to WDFW but acted in good faith, according to a WDFW Police investigation.
WDFW stresses the importance of submitting the head or lymph node samples from harvested deer in mandatory sampling areas, as private tests are not validated for CWD detection.
Mansfield noted the significance of following these rules: “These rules are necessary to provide managers with credible and actionable information, limit the disease’s spread, and ultimately minimize its impact to our state’s deer, elk and moose populations.”
WDFW has confirmed eight cases of CWD in Washington.
