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60 of 76 Deer Killed at
Wis. Game Farm Ill
MADISON, Wis., Mar. 3, 2006
(AP) Sixty of the 76 deer killed at a
Portage County game farm earlier this year tested positive for chronic
wasting disease. It is the highest concentration of animals infected
with the deadly ailment in a farm herd the state has found so far,
officials said Friday.
Buckhorn Flats was the first game farm in the state to have a deer test
positive for the disease, which causes the animals to grow thin and die.
The state has wanted to eradicate the herd since shortly after the
discovery in 2002, but the owner had fought those efforts in court.
Scientists are still not sure what causes the spread of chronic wasting
disease. But they have said signs point toward transmission through
contact among deer. Other studies suggest deer could contract it from
the environment.
Donna Gilson, spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and
Consumer Protection, said information on the deer killed at the Portage
County farm will aid researchers as they search for answers on how the
disease is spread.
She said the state has found seven deer farms with at least one positive
test for CWD. In most cases, the herds have been eradicated quickly, and
only a handful of other deer from the herd test positive.
The state believes the 3 1/2-year court fight likely allowed the disease
to spread through the herd so extensively.
"I think anybody would guess if we had destroyed these animals back in
2002 when we first found this case, we could have nearly as many
(positives)," Gilson said.
Buckhorn Falls owner Stan Hall had fought the Department of Natural
Resources in court on a series of issues since shortly after a buck on
his farm testified positive. He did not immediately return a call from
The Associated Press on Friday.
Hall's herd has been under quarantine since the first positive test in
2002. The latest results mean 82 deer have tested positive for the
disease from his farm.
The 76 does and yearlings from the breeding herd on the farm were killed
in January by U.S. Department of Agriculture shooters under an agreement
with Hall. He will be compensated for the animals.
State officials are also trying to determine what happened to
approximately 40 deer that were housed in the game preserve portion of
the operation. A breach in the fence surrounding that part of the farm
was found earlier this year, and officials have not been able to find
any of the 40 deer housed in the preserve, which was in operation until
last year.
Portage County Sheriff's Detective Gary Koehmstedt said authorities have
no suspect and no motive so far. The DNR has an ongoing effort to kill
deer within 2.5 miles of the farm.
Two does and two fawns that state officials believed wandered into the
preserve from the wild were also killed and tested. CWD was not detected
in those animals.
Other than Buckhorn Flats, CWD has been found in 12 white-tailed deer
and one elk on six other Wisconsin farms.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/03/ap/tech/mainD8G4DDPO3.shtml