The province says two deer killed in B.C.’s Kootenay region have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, also known as “zombie deer disease.”
The province said in a statement on Tuesday that the two new cases were confirmed within management zones set up to stop the spread of the disease.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal disease that affects species such as deer, elk, moose and caribou.
The disease, which has a fatality rate of 100 percent, has been spreading throughout the Kootenay region since it was first discovered in the region last year.
The Cervidae are a family of hoofed ruminant mammals that include moose, deer, and elk. If cervids suffer from chronic wasting disease, the mortality rate is 100%. (Marcella Bernardo/CBC)
Within the management area, the Government of B.C. Hunters asked to submit samples Test and report sick animals for free.
There are also restrictions on body transport in the Kootenay region due to the disease.
“Conserving British Columbia’s wildlife is a shared responsibility, and we are grateful to hunters, First Nations and community partners for working with us to effectively respond to and manage this disease,” Land and Resource Management Minister Randene Neill said in a statement from the province.
The province says eight cases of “zombie deer disease” have been confirmed in B.C., all in the Kootenay region in the southeastern corner of the province.
In a statement, the government said a special hunt will be held in CWD management areas where hunters will be able to harvest an additional deer on top of the area limit of two deer to support disease surveillance efforts.
Late last month, the province investigated a potential case of chronic wasting disease in the neighboring Okanagan region. The province said last week that testing confirmed deer samples taken east of Enderby, B.C., were negative for chronic wasting disease.
The province is encouraging hunters outside the Kootenays, particularly in the Peace region, which borders Alberta, to voluntarily submit samples of harvested deer, elk and moose.
“Hunters and hunting remain our best tools for identifying and managing chronic wasting disease,” Jesse Zeman, executive director of the British Columbia Wildlife Federation, said in the province’s statement.
Prion diseases such as chronic wasting disease are a rare class of neurodegenerative disorders found in humans and animals that impair brain function.
While there is no direct evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans and there have been no human cases, Health Canada and the World Health Organization recommend that people not eat meat from infected animals, the ministry said.
Perhaps the best-known example of a prion disease is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.