The Ministry of Environment wants hunters to help with the studies that will help to prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD is a fatal, infectious disease that affects members of the deer family, including deer, elk, moose, and caribou.

“It’s unusual in that the disease is caused by an infectious protein, so it’s not caused by a bacteria or virus, and it’s actually a protein that’s quite persistent in the environment,” said Iga Stasiak, Provincial Wildlife Health Specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.

“The disease takes a long time to develop, so animals could become infected and have the infection for a year or even two years before they start to show symptoms and that makes it really challenging to diagnose,” she said.

Stasiak noted that, if the disease goes unchecked, it could mean devastation for deer family populations.

“We know from studies in areas where the disease has been established for a very long time, in the United States, in Wyoming and Colorado, that when it becomes established in the population, after a long time it starts to really negatively impact these populations. This will result in decreased survival, and these populations won’t thrive in the long term,” she explained.

“So we’re going to start seeing changes, we’re going to start seeing less older age classes, so fewer older bucks, and overall the population is going to decline,” she added.

There is even a chance the disease could affect humans, given that the disease is similar to Mad Cow Disease.

“There’s no known reported cases in humans, but as a precautionary approach, we recommend that hunters do get their animals tested, and the World Health Organization and Health Canada does recommend that hunters avoid eating meat from animals that are infected,” she said.

Stasiak recommends that hunters avoid the use of mineral licks, which congregate the animals, thereby increasing the spread of the infection. Also, avoid transporting carcasses over long distances, and always pack the carcasses sealed in heavy plastic.

The most important thing hunters can do, however, is to submit the animal heads to be tested.

“The Ministry is asking hunters to drop off heads, from animals that they’ve harvested, for CWD testing,” said Stasiak. “This is really important to help guide our management, so hunters are encouraged to have their animals tested and they can drop off their heads at any of our Ministry of Environment field offices.”

She added participation is fair, with 800 animal heads submitted last year. More are needed, however, as the heads are valuable for research. Thousands of heads every year should be submitted to ensure the most comprehensive study.

More information on CWD can be found HERE.