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Seven Deer Test Positive for Chronic Wasting Disease During 2009 Spring Collections in West Virginia

West Virginia DNR

Hampshire County, West Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)-Test results have detected the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) agent in a total of seven white-tailed deer sampled during the 2009 spring collections in Hampshire County, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).

These most recent deer testing positive for CWD were collected by Wildlife Resources Section personnel working in cooperation with local landowners, and they were all located within the Hampshire County CWD Containment Area (i.e., that portion of Hampshire County located North of U.S. Route 50). The CWD agent previously has been detected outside the containment area in the adjacent portion of Hampshire County, and the area of known infected deer does continue to slowly expand.

These collections have been designed to investigate and determine the prevalence and distribution of the disease in Hampshire County. In addition, wildlife biologists are carefully monitoring changes in the structure of the deer herd within the CWD containment area.

The first case of CWD in West Virginia was confirmed on September 2, 2005. Since then, DNR has been fully engaged in activities guided by its CWD Incident Response Plan, which is designed to accomplish the following objectives.

Determine the distribution and prevalence of CWD through enhanced surveillance efforts.

Communicate and coordinate with the public and other appropriate agencies on issues relating to CWD and the steps being taken to respond to this disease.

Initiate appropriate management actions necessary to control the spread of this disease and prevent further introduction of the disease.

To date, CWD surveillance efforts conducted by the DNR have resulted in a total of 45 deer being confirmed positive for CWD in Hampshire County. Ongoing and extensive surveillance efforts being conducted by Wildlife Resources Section personnel throughout West Virginia have not detected CWD outside of Hampshire County.

CWD is a neurological disease found in deer and elk, and it belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The disease is thought to be caused by abnormal, proteinaceous particles called prions that slowly attack the brain of infected deer and elk, causing the animals to progressively become emaciated, display abnormal behavior and invariably results in the death of the infected animal. There is no known treatment for CWD, and it is fatal for the infected deer or elk. It is important to note that currently there is no evidence to suggest CWD poses a risk for humans or domestic animals.

“Landowner and hunter cooperation throughout this entire CWD surveillance effort in Hampshire County continues to be excellent,” noted DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “As we strive to meet this wildlife disease challenge and implement appropriate management strategies, the support and involvement of landowners and hunters remains essential. DNR is committed to keeping the public informed and involved in these wildlife disease management actions.

“Our well trained and professional wildlife biologists, wildlife managers and conservation officers are working diligently to effectively address this wildlife disease threat, and we are collaborating with nationally recognized wildlife disease experts at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Georgia,” said Jezioro.

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Biologists verify first fishers born in Washington since reintroduction began

OLYMPIA, WA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Biologists today confirmed the first sightings of newborn fishers in Washington State since restoration of the state-endangered species began two years ago. Photographs downloaded from an automated camera placed deep in the Olympic National Park wilderness show a female fisher carrying four kits down a large snag.

The female shown in the photograph is one of the first fishers reintroduced to Olympic National Park, released near Antelope Creek in the Elwha Valley on January 27, 2008 as part of a multi-partner recovery plan to restore the once-native animal to its historical habitat.

The photographs, taken May 23, 2009 clearly show the female carrying four kits, one at a time, down a snag and out of the frame to an unknown location. The camera and the den are located in a remote area of the park southeast of Port Angeles.

“Finding fisher kits in Olympic National Park is a tremendously exciting milestone in the fisher restoration process,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin. “Locating the mother’s den tree was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but after several weeks of careful tracking and wilderness hiking, biologists were overjoyed to have photographs of kits.”

Fishers, which are large, stocky members of the weasel family, usually give birth in late March, using tree cavities as dens for one to four kits. Females often use several den sites while raising kits, moving them to dens closer to the ground as they become larger and more mobile.

“This is a very exciting outcome,” said Phil Anderson, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) interim director. “Reproduction is a key measure of a successful reintroduction. The photos of these kits and indications that other females may be denning are signs that the fishers are adapting well to their new habitat and give great hope for the future of fisher recovery in Washington.”

Project biologists continue to track the movements of 36 fishers released since early 2008, and are investigating several other females believed to be denning. Additional fishers will be released into Olympic National Park this coming winter, the third and final year of the reintroduction effort. Fisher monitoring is expected to continue for another ten years.

“We’re grateful to project partners Conservation Northwest and Washington’s National Park Fund for their support of the remote camera monitoring,” said Gustin. “Actual sightings of young fishers are extremely rare; without the automated cameras, we may have never known about this very noteworthy event.”

Fisher reintroduction to Washington and Olympic National Park is made possible by a partnership of agencies and organizations. Project management is jointly provided by WDFW and ONP, while non-profit partner Conservation Northwest provides financial and administrative support for the project’s operations in British Columbia.

The USGS, WDFW and ONP are leading the research program, including monitoring, to evaluate the success of the reintroduction. The research is funded primarily by the USGS, Washington’s National Park Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Conservation Northwest through the Doris Duke Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society, with additional financial and logistical support from a wide variety of groups for management and research tasks. The British Columbia Ministry of Environment actively supports the ongoing effort to capture and import fishers to Washington and the Makah Tribe is providing assistance in the monitoring effort.

Fishers are native to the forests of Washington, including the Olympic Peninsula, but disappeared from the state decades ago. They were listed as a state endangered species in 1998 by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and were designated as a candidate for federal listing in 2004 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. More information, including monthly updates from the monitoring effort, is available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/fisher/reintro.htm

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