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Saskatchewan Environment is asking hunters to turn in deer heads. The samples
will be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. Saskatchewan Environment is
especially interested in samples from the province's western areas where all
cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in wild deer have been found.
Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal disease affecting the brains of deer and
elk. Currently, the only way to test for the disease in the wild is to examine
the brains of animals hunters have harvested.
So far this year hunters have turned in close to 1200 deer heads and 44 elk
heads for testing. While this is well above the number submitted by last year
at this time, Saskatchewan Environment would still like to get as many head
samples as possible. Hunting seasons will wrap up between now and the end of
December.
Hunters may drop frozen deer or elk heads off at their local Saskatchewan
Environment office. Hunters are requested to provide complete information
including their name and address, date and location the animal was taken. They
are also asked to remove the antlers to make it easier to handle and ship the
samples. Animal hides are not accepted at Saskatchewan Environment offices,
but may be dropped off at local Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation hide depots.
This fall, four new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease have been found in the
wild.
Since the fall of 2000, 16 cases of Chronic Wasting Disease have been
discovered in wild deer in Saskatchewan.
Current science indicates that Chronic Wasting Disease poses no known risk to
humans or domestic livestock.
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