Three new cases of chronic wasting disease have been found in wild deer in Alberta bringing the total to 16 cases of CWD in wild deer since it was discovered in the province in 2005.
The deer were shot near the Saskatchewan border during the recent hunting season. A male mule deer came from the Red Deer River valley near Empress. A female mule deer was from south of Chauvin and another female mule deer west of Edgerton.
The Alberta government is about halfway through its CWD testing program for the 2006-07 season. So far 1,609 deer have been tested.
CWD affects the animal’s nervous system. Infected animals cannot maintain weight and slowly waste away.
Hunters and landowners have played a critical role in the success of the CWD program, said a provincial government news release.
Many hunters have participated in the quota hunts to reduce the deer in areas where CWD has been found. Local landowners have allowed additional hunting to help control the disease in the wild population.
