Deadly chronic wasting disease found in urban deer in B.C.
Positive sample collected in Cranbrook as part of recent testing blitz by the province
A deadly deer disease has found its way into the urban deer population in Cranbrook, in B.C.'s Kootenay region.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in a female white-tailed deer during a recent testing blitz. Officials were in Cranbrook and Kimberley working to determine if the condition had made its way into the area after five other cases of CWD were found nearby in the province.
CWD has a 100 per cent fatality rate and was discovered in B.C. for the first time last year.
Attacking the brain, CWD spreads in populations of deer that share the same spaces, which is why the province has said urban populations are of particular concern as more animals mix together in smaller spaces.
Officials had aimed to kill 200 deer in total to collect samples from them, but wound up getting 126, with only one positive sample returned.
Still, because of how quickly the disease can spread, it's a concern that it's been detected in the city.
The province says further removal and testing may be required. An urban deer collaring program has started in order to track the animal's movements to better inform the potential spread of the disease.
CWD is not known to spread to humans.