Alberta Fish and Wildlife staff recently completed a deer cull in the Empress region of eastern Alberta.
The cull is part of the Border Deer Study designed to predict the possible spread of chronic wasting disease.
Deer are tested for CWD and used to establish genetic profiles so researchers can tell how the herds throughout the region intermingle.
Research so far suggests mule deer and white-tailed deer travel widely and breed with their own kind throughout the Alberta-Saskatchewan border region.
The project, done in co-operation with the University of Alberta, Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Saskatchewan Environment, used helicopters to cull 90 percent of the animals killed during the March 6-9 cull.
That allowed staff to cull 440 deer, which normally would have taken about eight days.
In addition to testing for CWD and genetic profiles, researchers collect information on the deer reproductive systems and parasites present.
The hides are saved and meat is donated to food banks once test results prove it is safe for human consumption.
