LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Chronic wasting disease has been found in a deer in Union County, near the Louisiana state line, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported Thursday.
The white-tailed deer was harvested in the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge and a sample has been confirmed with the fatal disease that affects deer, elk, caribou, and moose, the commission said.
The source of the disease is unknown as the nearest known positive case was 120 miles away in Issaquena County, Mississippi, and is more than 200 miles from the nearest known positive case in Arkansas.
“With this positive case being so far from any previously known source, we’ve already begun working on ways to gather more samples from the surrounding area to determine the extent of the infection in this part of the state,” said Cory Gray, chief of the AGFC’s Research Division.
Gray said the commission has also contacted the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to coordinate and share information.
There are no reported cases of CWD infection in humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also noted that research has raised concerns that there may be a risk to people.
Hunters who wish to have their deer tested for CWD can take the head of the deer, with 6 inches of neck still attached, to one of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commision's network of participating taxidermists to have a sample tested for free.
They also may drop off the head at one of the CWD-testing collection stations positioned throughout the state, the AGFC said.
A list of CWD-testing facilities is available at www.agfc.com/cwd.
Local landowners near Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge also may contact the AGFC to participate in surveillance efforts in the area.
For more information, call (501) 412-5434.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
