n
some parts of the United States, a sad but necessary drama is being played
out on a stage unused to tragic decisions. The drama is that of hunters
killing any and all whitetail deer that they see, turning the carcasses
over to state authorities, and going out to kill again. The heads of the
animals are bagged and frozen for study at laboratories, and the bodies are
incinerated. The sad reason for this slaughter is that certain areas have
been found to contain deer affected with chronic wasting disease, a
condition that affects their brain tissue, and results in the animals
becoming scrawny and "wasted" in appearance.
There are several reasons for concern. One is that the disease may
possibly be transmittable to humans, in the same manner as "mad cow
disease" in Great Britain was found to be sometimes transmitted to
humans who had consumed the meat. The condition in humans is always fatal.
Three hunters in the United States, who had been in the habit of consuming
venison, have all died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is the human
counterpart of bovine spongiform encephalitis, or BSE, or "mad cow
disease", and while the link between the men and the meat of the deer
they had consumed is not proven, there is great concern about the
coincidence. Consequently, the sale of hunting licenses in Wisconsin, one
of the affected states, has fallen by one third, and the continuing
economic impacts of this are going to be severe for years to come. Deer
hunting is a one billion dollar annual industry in the state.
Another concern is that infected deer will continue to affect healthy
ones, unless or until the diseased animals are removed from the
environment. The concern is for both people and other deer, including all
hoofed ungulates, such as elk, moose and caribou. Canadians worry about
spread to their animals. Unanswered questions include worry about the
disease spreading from wildlife species to cattle or sheep. This likelihood
may be minimal, as biologists believe that the disease is spread from deer
to deer through nose to nose contact, and this social interaction may be
limited to the extent that cross-species disease spread is unlikely. We
don't know.
Wildlife managers across the country from the western states east to
Wisconsin are now worrying about their deer herds and how to test for, and
control, the spread of the disease.
Their information so far has led them to order widespread deer
eradication in areas known to contain infected deer. This has resulted in
citizen dismay, and in some areas, to formation of groups opposed to state
deer policy. The political pressure on state deer management officials is
tremendous, from citizens on both sides of the issue. A September 13 New
York Times article by Jodi Wilgoren outlines the dilemma, and hints
at future trouble for managers in areas not yet proven to be affected.
IWMC applauds those in management positions who, in facing this dilemma,
choose to take two simultaneous paths: One path is that of the known
scientific knowledge of this disease and the manner in which it is spread,
to eradicate the disease in as thorough a manner as is possible by ordering
slaughter until all infected deer have been examined and disposed of. The
other path is to courageously keep the public informed of the first
strategy, and to continue to be honest in all communications, for purposes
of reassurance and ethical responsibility to the constituency. A poorly
informed public will attempt to use political pressure to initiate
management strategies that are biologically inappropriate to solve this
problem. Effective public education is an essential part of any radical
measures taken to save whitetail deer and other deer species for the
future. Good luck, Wisconsin and the other states affected by chronic
wasting disease.
