Spread of Deer Disease Should Put Maine on Alert

The next time you see a whitetail deer by the side of the road or in your backyard, imagine if that deer had the cervid version of “mad cow” disease. And then think how far you’d go to prevent that here in Maine.

That may seem absurd or alarmist, but chronic wasting disease, a form of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies found in cattle and sheep, is now a real threat in the East.

This is why a national conference on the disease will be held in two weeks in New York.

Last year, Cornell University tried to organize this national conference.

“Due to lack of interest, they canceled it,” said state biologist Randall Stumvoll in New York.

Four months ago, that changed quickly.

In March, New York State biologists discovered the wasting disease in two farm deer raised in captivity. Then in April, four wild deer in New York tested positive.

New York is the farthest east the disease has spread.

The discovery of chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin in 2002 sent fear through deer hunting states across the country.

There is no evidence that it poses a risk to humans or domestic animals, but there is little known about this fatal disease. There is no known treatment.

Biologists believe it can pass between deer by contact through saliva, urine and feces, but it is not known whether it can be passed to other species.

Since the disease was discovered in the United States, it has been found in several states, including Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

In Maine, as in New York, state officials took steps three years ago to guard against the spread of the disease here, by passing laws restricting the importation of farmed deer.

This fall, Maine state officials will consider taking new steps, including banning the importation of certain deer parts.

Considering how little is known about the disease and how it has spread to the East, it doesn’t seem states can take too many precautions.

But that may be a point of contention in Maine as state officials attempt to further guard against its spread next winter.

They may also ask the many fans of deer feeding to help by giving up their pastime.

“The concern here is that CWD is spread by deer-to-deer contact,” said Mark Stadler, Maine’s wildlife division director.

This is sure to stir public controversy, Stadler added, since the state already discourages deer feeding and many people – even towns – participate in the activity.

However, when you consider the defensive attitude in New York, you have to wonder whether this makes sense.

Officials there were not asleep at the switch.

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation had a wildlife disease monitoring program in place when the disease was found in March.

The state was taking random samples of domestic deer when two infected whitetails, owned by a deer farmer who doubles as a taxidermist, were found.

However, Stumvoll said, when wild deer near the farm tested positive, there was no proof they contracted the disease from the taxidermist’s farm, and no clear idea how widespread the disease was.

But what is most frightening about the discovery of chronic wasting disease in New York is the state’s defeatist attitude.

This fall, the state will go from testing 1,000 hunter-killed deer to as many as 7,000, but Stumvoll said he still holds no hope of eradicating the disease.

“The history from other states suggests it’s not likely,” he said. “I expect from other states, once it’s found in the wild, nobody can eradicate it from the wild.”

Such a reality could make a state ordinance against feeding deer here a commonsense approach.

When you consider that New York is both ratcheting up its surveillance program and throwing up the white flag, it seems wise for Maine to pull out all stops to protect its whitetails.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com