Deer cull ordered in western Manitoba after new case of chronic wasting disease found

Another case of a deer infected with chronic wasting disease in Manitoba has prompted the province to launch a deer cull to control the contagious and incurable neurological disease.

Starting Dec. 13, a marksman in a helicopter will begin shooting deer inside a containment zone in order to significantly reduce the deer population, provincial officials said in a Friday news conference.

"With a very short window of opportunity to reach potentially infected deer before CWD spreads further into Manitoba, local landowners have been contacted for permission to access their land," a news release stated.

The containment zone will be a 10-kilometre radius from where the first case of CWD was found Oct. 14, near Lake of the Prairies, northwest of Riding Mountain National Park.

Maria Arlt, assistant director of Manitoba's wildlife, fisheries and resource enforcement, believes there is enough permission to support the effort but noted the province will not hunt on any private land where permission has not been granted.

"This is the safest and most effective way to approach a depopulation at this level," Arlt said, adding it will take about two to four days.

She is not entirely sure how many deer will likely need to be destroyed, as the size of the population in the area is not known. The province will report on the culled number afterwards, she said.

"This will result in a reduced deer population in this area but is designed to ensure the rest of the province's deer population remains healthy," a news release from the province stated.

"If CWD spreads from this area, it will have a significantly larger, longer-lasting impact on the deer population in Manitoba that will be felt for generations." 

Efforts will be made to salvage as much meat as possible from animals found to be free of CWD. That meat will be made available on a priority basis to Indigenous communities, beginning with communities affected by hunting closures in the region and also to local landowners upon request, the province said.

The disease doesn't pose a health risk to humans but eating the meat of infected animals is not recommended.

Infected animals display symptoms such as weight loss, poor coordination, stumbling, drooling, trembling, and depression, according to the federal government. 

The discovery of the first Manitoba case was made in an unhealthy male mule deer, which was euthanized and tested. 

The second case was found in a mule deer during routine surveillance in the southwest corner near Melita. The animal was emaciated and acting erratically, officials said.

It, too, was euthanized and the presence of the disease was confirmed on Thursday.

Immediately following the first case, the province imposed a hunting ban in the area, stretching from Brandon and going north and west to the Saskatchewan border, and including a portion of Game Hunting Area 22.

Dr. Scott Zaari, Manitoba's chief veterinary officer, said the second infected animal was found about 250 kilometres from the first, so it is believed the two cases are from different deer populations.

The province is still developing a strategy to deal with the second case, Zaari said.

The disease, which can also impact elk and moose, has been detected in many animals in Alberta, Saskatchewan and 27 states in the U.S. for a number of years.

A map of CWD cases, current as of Dec. 2, can be found here from the U.S. National Wildlife Health Center.

An animal can be infected with chronic wasting disease for up to three years before showing signs of disease, which is fatal in every case — there is no treatment or vaccine.

It spreads easily between animals through saliva, urine, feces, tissue and even through plants and soil.

"CWD will spread if left unchecked in an area. The good news is we got to this disease early," Zaari said. "We do not want to get to a point where this disease is endemic in our wildlife population."

There is no evidence, so far, to show the disease spreads to species outside of the deer family, Zaari added, assuring farmers they have no need to worry for their cattle, horses or other animals not part of the deer family.

Provincial officials have consulted with colleagues in other jurisdictions about managing, containing and eradicating the disease and one thing has been consistent, said Arlt.

"That is, we need to act quickly and we need to act decisively," she said.