The first Alberta elk herd to have an animal test positive for chronic
wasting disease has not been destroyed even though it has been more
than one month since the disease was detected.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the owner of the northern
Alberta herd have yet to agree on the value of the animals in the herd,
said chief veterinarian George Luterbach.
Each side has appointed a person to represent them to come up with a
value on each animal.
“These are always hard times. They’re very emotional times for people
to cope with,” said Luterbach.
The federal government will pay up to $4,000 for each animal.
A dozen elk from the original herd that were sold to 12 other farms in
the past three years have been slaughtered and their tissue sent for
testing.
