The Craig Daily Press: 'Endemic' and = economics

From: Subject: The Craig Daily Press: 'Endemic' and economics Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 09:05:17 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.craigdailypress.com/section/chronic/storypr/6523 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 The Craig Daily Press: 'Endemic' and = economics

The Craig Daily = Press

Chronic Wasting Disease

'Endemic' and economics

Larimer County reports minimal impact on = business from=20 CWD

Thursday, May 16, 2002

A public official = and=20 business owner in Larimer County, where the chronic disease = infection=20 rate in wild deer and elk in some areas is between 10 and 14 percent, = said=20 Wednesday the disease has not impacted revenue generated from hunting in = the=20 area.

"Our economy is not based on hunting like it is in = Northwest=20 Colorado," said Larimer County Commissioner Tom Bender. "Our hunting = here is not=20 as good as yours, so I understand the concern of people in your area. = But we=20 haven't seen a decrease in the number of hunters that hunt here."

Chronic wasting disease, which attacks the central = nervous=20 system of deer and elk causing them to die, has been in Larimer County = for about=20 30 years.

The disease was recently discovered in wild mule = deer south=20 of Hayden.

More than 1,000 deer and elk have been killed in = that area=20 since the discovery, but no elk have tested positive for CWD and the = infection=20 rate in the deer herd is less than 1 percent.

Because of the high infection rate in Larimer = County, the=20 Colorado Division of Wildlife has taken efforts in recent years to = reduce deer=20 and elk populations in that area, hoping to eradicate the disease.

Bender said some community members are concerned = about the=20 toll the eradication effort is taking on wild game herds, which he = estimated has=20 been going on for five years.

"Some ranchers north of town say they are = beginning to see a=20 decrease in the deer population," he said. "Whether it's doing any good, = nobody=20 really knows."

But nothing has changed in the area as far as = people who=20 still want to hunt, Bender said.

Bender, who also is a hunter, said people just = comply with=20 what the Division of Wildlife asks them to do.

The DOW asks that all hunters turn in the heads of = animals=20 in the area for testing.

"The hunting has stayed steady," Bender said. "We = just keep=20 turning in the heads and cooperating with them (DOW)."

People just turn in the meat to the local = processors, Bender=20 said.

"Processors here just process the meat and turn in = the=20 heads," he said. "The packers don't hold on to it. It's up to the people = to=20 decide if they want to eat the meat or wait until the test is back. It = takes six=20 weeks to two months to get the results back. Processors don't want to = hold on to=20 it for that length of time."

Barbara McConnell, owner of Reliable Game = Processing in Fort=20 Collins, said her business has not seen any change since the label = "endemic" was=20 put on the area.

"I thought it would affect us more than it has," = she said.=20 "I don't think it has affected us at all. Our business has not gone = down."

McConnell estimated her business processed 1,000 = deer last=20 hunting season, which is good, she said.

"I make it clear to people that we can't just let = meat hang=20 and wait for them to get their tests back. That can take from seven days = to six=20 months," she said. "If they want to have their meat processed, they have = to drop=20 it off, pick it up then keep it in their freezer while they wait for the = results. My customers have been exceptional about doing that."

Some people who don't want to process an animal = until they=20 know it is negative for CWD take a different approach, McConnell = said.

"If they want to wait for the tests they can = quarter it and=20 keep it in the freezer in their home," she said. "But most people say go = ahead=20 and process it."

And some people don't think twice about the = disease, she=20 said.

"Some people say 'it doesn't matter if it has = chronic=20 wasting disease, we're going to eat it anyway,'" she said. "But some are = more=20 cautious."

Because the disease has been in the area for 30 = years,=20 McConnell said her business probably had CWD-positive animals coming = through=20 before they even knew the disease existed.

She estimated that five CWD-positive animals of = the 1,000=20 she processed last year passed through her plant.

McConnell said she and her employees clean the = area after=20 each animal is processed, which is about all they can do.

"We used to cut the skull caps off for them," she = said. "The=20 disease is in the central nervous system, which is why we do not cut the = skull=20 caps or cut through the spinal column."

But that has been the only change in McConnell's = business,=20 she said, except for the fact that business has increased slightly since = the CWD=20 scare.

"Business has been increasing because of the = number of deer=20 tags they've been issuing to eliminate this disease," she said. "We know = that=20 has to come to a halt at some time."

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