Colorado Division of Wildlife
December 29, 2005
DOW Insider
CWD DETECTED IN UNITS 109 AND 84
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) has detected chronic wasting disease
(CWD) in deer in two new game management units (GMU's) where it was not
previously detected in eastern Colorado. The new units are GMU 109 north of
Burlington and GMU 84 west of Pueblo.
One animal was reported to the DOW by a landowner west of Bonny Reservoir.
It was in poor physical condition at the time of death. The second animal,
in GMU 84, was a road kill picked up by DOW personnel west of Pueblo on
Highway 96.
Tissues from both animals were submitted to Colorado State University's
Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory and both had positive test results.
In addition, two more deer harvested by hunters at Fort Carson in GMU 591
this year tested positive for CWD.
Some late hunting seasons in Colorado continue through the end of January,
and all successful hunters are encouraged to submit their animals for
testing. In some units, including Fort Carson, the DOW has waived CWD
testing fees encourage more hunters to have their animals tested.
So far this year over 5,000 elk, 6,000 deer and 133 moose had been tested in
Colorado. Elk submissions by hunters were down about 15 percent despite an
increase in over the counter license sales of about eight percent,
suggesting hunter interest in testing is waning or harvest was down or
both.
Chronic Wasting Disease affects the brains of deer, elk and moose. Brain
tissue of infected animals degenerates causing weight loss, abnormal
behavior and eventually, death.