Minn. DNR Halts Farmed Deer Movement To Prevent Spread Of CWD
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Nature officials in Minnesota have immediately halted the importation and movement of farmed deer in Minnesota.
The move comes after three Minnesota farms received five deer from a farm in Wisconsin where chronic wasting disease was detected.
Two of those animals were shipped back to Wisconsin because the farms they were sent to are no longer operating. Three deer went to an active farm; two of those were killed and tested negative for CWD. The third is still alive and awaiting testing. That farm is currently under quarantine.
"We are committed to doing everything we can to reduce the continued risk of CWD transmission in Minnesota, including from farmed deer to Minnesota's wild whitetails," DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said in a release.
In total, the Wisconsin farm shipped nearly 400 deer to farms in seven states.
CWD is always fatal to animals it infects. There are no treatment or vaccines.
