A deer at a Burnett County deer farm has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
The positive sample came from a 4-year-old whitetail buck, according to a Monday, Oct. 5 news release from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The five acre farm, which houses 19 deer, has been quarantined. The herd will remain under quarantine while an investigation is conducted by state and United States Department of Agriculture veterinarians., the news release said.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection , there are 311 registered deer farms or ranches in Wisconsin. Of those, 28 have had a positive CWD test since 2001 and 18 herds have been depopulated as a result of a positive CWD test, including one in Burnett County.
In 2019, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tested 19,356 wild deer samples sent in by hunters. Of those, 1,338 samples tested positive . The majority were from southern Wisconsin.
ADVERTISEMENT
