Goodday Lynn:
How does the Federal Regulations play into this? Whether is be livestock,wildlife softwood lumber or whatever, doesn't it have to get the blessings of the Feds at the border or it goes nowhere.
I just seen on CNN a few days ago that something as simple as a ham sandwich or a banana is now prohibited from being taken into the USA from Canada .(or soon to be)
I'm just curious as to how this could happen without proper testing and proper import paperwork. I remember one time 28 years ago we had to empty the babys bottle before crossing the border because it was a dairy product. Some thing just don't make sense for sure.

Hammer1,

The Feds will play a part and this is not yet a done deal.

All aspects of this importation are being looked at and hopefully someone with authority will have enough sense to see the problems this will cause if they allow these elk to be imported and released without meeting the rules and regulations that have been developed to protect both wildlife and livestock.

Crossing the border either way is a challenge if you're transporting food. I know, we visited BC in September and hauled our camper. There were restrictions on many food items that we could NOT bring into BC, however the same thing happened coming back into the USA. In fact I thought coming back was a lot stricter. We had everything searched (our camper & truck) and had a cooked hotdog seized! No joke, a hotdog. And then we received a very stern lecture from the USA border folks. It was not a fun experience.

So... it would appear if the average citizen cannot bring back even simple food items, surely the feds would not allow animals to be transported if there is even the smallest chance of a disease being spread.

I just don't see this going through at all with the elk transfer, regardless of whether TWRA wants it or not.

Here's a link that deals with the Provinces of Alberta,Manitoba,Sakatchewan, & the States of Idaho,Montana & North Dekoa and The Federal governments It a long read(PDF)

http://www.csale.usask.ca/PDFDocuments/gameFarmRegulation.pdf

Bring em in. Bring the elk back to thier historic range. I would love to see elk repopulated throughout the south, regardless if they eat some grass earmarked for cows.

Coop:
Here's a Florida article I just came across, interesting.

http://www.wakulla.com/Wakulla_Outdoors/Hunting/Importing_Deer_and_Elk_C...

Thanks for the info Hammer 1

TWRA elk importation / URGENT

The Commissioner of Agriculture, Ken Givens, should not have issued a wavier to allow elk to be imported, by TWRA, that does not meet his own departments rules and regulations in regard to disease issues because there is too much risk involved for both wildlife and livestock.

A live animal CWD test is expected in the near future so there is no reason to be in such a rush to import elk that do not meet the rules and regulations developed by the TN Department of Agriculture (TDA) to protect both wildlife and livestock. For the safety of both wildlife and livestock, any elk imported into TN should meet all of the TDA rules and regulations for importation, especially the rules concerning CWD and Tuberculosis (TB). The elk from Elk Island would need two TB test 90 days apart before entry into TN. The Elk Island herd does not meet the CWD monitoring requirements for importation into TN.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a wild deer just this month about 100 miles south east of Elk Island in Edgerton, Alberta Canada.

http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fw/diseases/cwd/index.html

Update - December 11, 2006

Alberta has recorded two more cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer after hunters recently turned in the heads for testing. This brings the total to 15 cases of CWD confirmed in wild deer in Alberta since the first case in September 2005.

The two new cases involve deer harvested during the recent hunting season in areas monitored for CWD. A male mule deer from wildlife management unit (WMU) 151 along the Red Deer River tested positive. As well, a female mule deer was taken in WMU 234, west of Edgerton. The first case was near previously known cases; the second case occurred in a high-risk area next to a part of Saskatchewan where positive wild and farmed deer have been found. These latest cases were confirmed December 8.

A total of 914 deer heads have been sampled from the 2006 hunting season to December 8 and testing continues on the remaining heads.

Hunters are reminded that submission of deer heads is a requirement in five wildlife management units along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. These include WMU 150, 151, 234, 256, and 500. Any heads taken in these areas and kept frozen since the animal was shot can still be dropped off at a Fish and Wildlife office or at one of the 24-hour freezers.

Sometimes thing don't make much sense, I agree, but I'm not well enough informed, I just hope that all governments do the right thing.
Like Cowgals infamous Oscar Mayer Weiner, probably packaged in the US, transported to God knows where in Canada,cooked for consumption and finally the hot dog was apprehended trying to make an illegal entry back into the USA.

Some things I will just never understand.

Most research seems to show that CWD can take up to about three years to show up after exposure to the disease. Since CWD has been identified within about 100 miles from Elk Island, it is very possible that animals in Elk Island has CWD since elk can and do travel 75 or 80 miles in a short period of time.