Kansas to Test Deer for Disease: Infected Animal Found in State?S Northwest Corner

By Bill Graham, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Feb. 14–Kansas wildlife officials this week will begin killing deer in Cheyenne County to test for chronic wasting disease.

A whitetail deer killed in the state’s northwest corner last fall tested positive for the brain-wasting malady, which is similar to mad cow disease.

No health threats to humans or livestock are known, but authorities are tracking the disease closely because much remains unknown about its causes.

“We want to be as proactive as we can to assure ourselves and everybody else of the prevalence or lack of prevalence in our state,” said Bob Mathews, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Authorities plan to kill 50 deer for testing at Kansas State University.

Kansas is the 11th state to discover the disease in wild deer and elk. Deer from Colorado and Nebraska near Cheyenne County also have tested positive for the disease.

A recent public meeting in the county drew hunters with concerns, Mathews said.

But wildlife officials hope they can proceed with testing and possibly herd control without public opposition or health fears, he said. Some states with the disease, such as Wisconsin, have faced a public outcry over deer herd controls in disease areas.

“This is a more informed public we’re dealing with now, and they’re less prone to panic,” Mathews said.

To reach Bill Graham, call (816) 234-5906 or send e-mail to bgraham@kcstar.com .

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