The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is asking hunters to help it detect chronic wasting disease in deer they kill this hunting season.
It is also asking them to report any sightings of deer, elk or caribou that are showing symtoms of the disease, such as severe loss of weight, tremors, lack of coordination or unusual behaviour.
The ministry will have enhanced surveillance in the Chatham-Kent area and from Sharbot Laker to Midland.
All hunters within the surveillance areas are encouraged to take the head of their deer, preferably within a few days of being harvested, to an MNR freezer depot. Depots will be open from early October to mid-December.
Hunters submitting a deer head are asked to provide their contact information and the date and general location of harvest. Hunters can find their test results at ontario.ca/CWD.
To report roadkill deer in the surveillance area that may be suitable for testing, call the ministry’s Wildlife Health Information Line at 1-888-574-6656, or email CWD@ontario.ca.
Sightings of ill animals can be reported to:
· The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 1-866-673-4781
· The ministry’s Wildlife Health Information Line at 1-888-574-6656
· The ministry’s CWD surveillance program at CWD@ontario.ca
This disease is a relative of mad cows disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) or Creutzfeldt Jakob disease of people.