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First deer with Chronic Wasting Disease diagnosed in Ohio

fishwendel2

Junior Member
With deer hunting underway in Ohio, state officials are warning hunters not to eat animals that show signs of a rare disease that has found its way into the state for the first time.

Chronic Wasting Disease, which is similar to mad-cow disease except that it hasn’t been shown to infect humans, was found in a deer in northeastern Ohio’s Holmes County.

The deer was tested at World Class Whitetails, a private hunting facility in Holmes County, about 85 miles northeast of Columbus near Millersburg, said Erica Hawkins of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

That facility and 42 others across the state, including several in Holmes County, had been quietly quarantined in April after the state learned that 125 potentially infected deer had been transported to them from Pennsylvania.

Facilities that elected to destroy their imported animals and submit samples for testing were removed from quarantine. But 21 operations chose not to destroy their imported deer, and they must remain under quarantine for five years because of the long incubation time between exposure to the disease and development of it.

“A lot of the preserves are bringing in animals from other states, other breeding operations,” Hawkins said. “These animals came into the state before the positive test results came back from Pennsylvania.”

When the first positive test in Ohio came back on Wednesday, the state decided to publicize the situation, Hawkins said.

“We don’t have any reason to suspect that it has jumped from the captive herd to the wild population,” she said.

Chronic Wasting Disease attacks the brains of infected deer, elk and moose, producing small lesions that eventually kill the animal. Sick deer will lose weight, salivate excessively, increase their drinking and urination, and generally act abnormally, stumbling, trembling and allowing humans or other predators to get unusually close.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says that “several epidemiologic studies provide evidence that, to date, CWD has not been transmitted to humans.”

New studies are underway to follow humans who might be at higher risk of eating infected meat, but because of the long time between exposure and development of the disease, “many years of continued follow-up are required to be able to say what the risk, if any, of CWD is to humans,” The CDC says.

During the 2013-14 season, Ohio hunters killed 191,459 deer, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The state ranks fifth nationally in resident hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related industries, ODNR says.

To minimize the risk of contact with Chronic Wasting Disease in Ohio or elsewhere, hunters should take precautions in areas of known exposure, the CDC says. They should “avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick,” or have their meat tested by the state. While field-dressing a carcass, hunters should wear gloves and minimize the handling of the brain and spinal-cord tissue, the CDC says.

“The good news is it’s in a captive facility, so it is contained,” said Susie Vance, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Nevertheless, the state has launched an effort to monitor wild deer in a 6-mile radius of Millersburg through sampling the lymph nodes of dead animals, including any deer killed by vehicles.

Ohio is the 14th state to have discovered Chronic Wasting Disease in its captive deer population, Vance said. Nineteen states, including Pennsylvania, have found the disease in their wild herds — a much more serious situation because it is difficult to contain.

Archery deer hunting began in September and continues through Feb. 1. The youth gun season is Nov. 22-23, gun season for hunters of all ages is Dec. 1-7, and the muzzleloader season is Jan. 2-5.

ODNR is asking hunters or residents who suspect they have identified an infected deer to contact the department at 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543), or contact their local Division of Wildlife office.

bbush@dispatch.com

@ReporterBush
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
That place is a joke from what I've seen on their YouTube videos. Importing deer from other states should not be allowed at all.
 

matthewusmc8791

Junior Member
288
46
NE Ohio
Leave it to the deer farmers to get it started here...

So very true.. Knowing how shity the government is and the lazy ass officials are when it comes to inspecting these damn places it just makes me sick.

In due time it will be here and it will be because of these BS private hunting preserves and deer farms and these buck growing operations.

GREED, that's all it is.

Us hunters are the ones who are going to get it stuck in our ass but good because of it..
 
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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
The DNR Should go to that farm and kill and burn every deer there. I want to know the 21 preserves that refused to destroy their animals. Tomorrow I will submit a FOIA request to the DNR. Publicity is about to get really bad for them.

And what Dante said above. I'm sure plenty of people las year at strouds heard the same thing I did straight from the mouth of out deer program manager. The first instance of CWD in ohio and they're banning baiting. That's all they've been waiting on before moving forward with the ban.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
The DNR Should go to that farm and kill and burn every deer there. I want to know the 21 preserves that refused to destroy their animals. Tomorrow I will submit a FOIA request to the DNR. Publicity is about to get really bad for them.

And what Dante said above. I'm sure plenty of people las year at strouds heard the same thing I did straight from the mouth of out deer program manager. The first instance of CWD in ohio and they're banning baiting. That's all they've been waiting on before moving forward with the ban.

Why exactly are they not required to destroy all infected deer in the first place?
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I just sent the below email to both the ohio department of natural resources and the ohio department of agriculture. There are 21 facilities in ohio that are about to be famous for reasons they likely don't want sportsmen to know.

"""""""

This is a request pursuant to the Ohio open records act and covered under ORC 149.43.

I am the owner of theohiooutdoors.com a collaborative forum of outdoorsmen and women across the state of Ohio. It is with great concern we learned by press release that CWD was found in an ohio whitetail hunting ranch. The impact of this exposure stands to impact a billion dollar hunting industry across Ohio. As such the public has a right to know the extent and impact of this exposure. I would first like to thank you for your concern and devoted work towards identifying and containing this exposure.

The article mentions that 125 potentially infected deer were sent to 43 ohio whitetail ranches from Pennsylvania.

It is our understanding that 21 of these facilities refused to destroy these animals or submit to testing and thus were placed on a 5 year quarantine.

The request is as follows.

1. Business and or owners name of the 21 locations refusing to dispatch the animals and have such been placed under quarantine.

2. Address of the 21 facilities refusing to dispatch the animals and have such been placed under quarantine.

3. Number of suspected animals by sex, by facility, sent to each of the 21 locations refusing to dispatch the animals and have such been placed under quarantine.

The above information can be sent to this email. Joe@theohiooutdoors.com

Thank you for your time

Joe wilson
Owner: theohiooutdoors.com
""""""""""
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Thanks Joe.... Looking forward too their response....

Once I get the list I will email each of them for their statement and reasons they refuse to cooperate with the DNR and ODOA recommendations. I will also post their location information for everyone and make sure it's out there for anyone researching their business. There is only so much the government can do to persuade them. Quarantine etc. Combine the quarantine with bad press and maybe we can get them to follow suit with the other 22 farms that destroyed the animals.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Light that fire Joe lol.

Asshats shouldn't have been given an OUT and should have been told to surrender their deer to be put down or loose everything you own.
 
First case in Michigan was in a similar deer farm/ranch and they banned baiting in the whole lower peninsula. They did a couple year study to see if there were any cases in free range deer and found none. Wasn't long and they allowed baiting back in but in a much more limited basis. Guess this is one good reason why you don't want these high fence places in your state.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Thanks Joe. Is there a time limit on when they must release the info?

The law simply states a reasonable amount of time to approve and gather the requested data. Since this is information they should already have in a list, I would guess a week if not sooner. If they refuse I can launch a complaint with the ohio attorney generals office to force them. If the attorney general finds they should have released it then they must turn over the information and pay me costs for recovery.