ARKANSAS, USA — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission confirmed another case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Arkansas.
According to a release by the commission, the latest deer to test positive for CWD is out of Randolph County. The deer was harvested south of the Missouri border during Arkansas' modern gun deer hunt. The sample was confirmed positive by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Cory Gray, Chief of AGFC's Research Division, says the hunter who harvested the deer has been notified.
"We have already begun making plans to place more CWD drop-off containers near the area where the positive was found in Randolph County for voluntary testing," Gray said. "We’re also reaching out to our counterparts at the Missouri Department of Conservation to coordinate with them and share data."
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that impacts moose, caribou, elk and deer. According to the AGFC, more than 40,000 deer and elk have been tested for the disease since the first detected case in February of 2016. Up to this date, 1,260 deer and 38 elk tested positive for CWD in Arkansas.
The director of AGFC, Austin Booth says crews are evaluating the need for any expansion of the CWD Management Zone.
“We held public meetings along the Missouri border this summer, but we aren’t going to stop now. We’ll make sure we hold public meetings about our findings at the conclusion of deer season. Local hunters can help us a great deal by taking advantage of the free testing facilities and getting their deer tested for CWD,” Booth said. “More hunter-harvested samples means more chances to find any new concentrations of the disease and give our staff a better picture of the landscape so they can make better-informed decisions moving forward. There is much left to learn about CWD, but this is certain–the most important thing for Arkansas deer hunters to do is keep hunting and get their deer tested.”
Three other deer tested positive for the first time in counties already in the CWD Management Zone. The counties include Crawford, Franklin and Van Buren Counties.
According to the report, the Crawford County deer was harvested near Cedarville, the Franklin County deer was taken near Charleston and the Van Buren County deer was sampled near Alread.
If a hunter would like to have their deer tested for CWD they can take the head of a deer, with 6 inches of the neck still attached, to a taxidermist that participates in the AGFC's network. The deer will be tested for free.
Also, a hunter can take their deer to a CWD testing collection station at more than 100 locations throughout Arkansas.