Game & Fish Turns to AAD Lab for CWD Testing t The leaves change color, the air gets crisp and the deer begin to roam. November is a favorite time of year for many Arkansans for many reasons, but deer season ranks near the top. Arkansas has a deer herd estimated to be around 1 million animals. Some 300,000 Arkansans hunt deer, harvesting approximately 200,000 a year. However, since 2016, the Arkansas deer population has been facing a recently discovered threat -- chronic wasting disease (CWD). CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects members of the deer and elk family. CWD is a slowly progressing disease. Infected animals will not show signs of disease for a long period of time, but late in the disease process, they will be thin and may demonstrate weakness, abnormal behavior, excessive thirst, or drooling. The disease is fatal. As of October 1, 2018, there have been a total of 370 cases of CWD in Arkansas -- 356 in deer and 14 in elk. Surveillance for this disease continues statewide. No Arkansas lab, until now, had been certified to screen for CWD. Prior to 2018, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) had to send tissue samples to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison. AGFC completed their contract with Wisconsin this past deer season and will begin sending hunter-harvested samples to the Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory during the 2019 modern gun deer season. The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Arkansas Agriculture Department’s Livestock and Poultry Commission 88 ARKANSAS GROWN is the only lab in Arkansas that is a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which coordinates the nation’s response to outbreaks of animal-borne diseases. Together, both commissions have drafted a memorandum of understanding on how the Arkansas lab will now perform screening for CWD. With both commissions and the lab being located in the same complex on Natural Resources Drive in West Little Rock, logistically the partnership just makes sense. “To put it simply, it’s a logistical thing,” said Cory Gray, chief of the Research, Evaluation and Compliance Division of AGFC. “Previously we’ve had to send tissue samples to Wisconsin; now that we can do all that in-house and keep it local with a quicker turnaround, I don’t see any problems.” Road-kill and visibly sick deer have been screened for CWD at the Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Lab for several months now. The lab does not accept submissions for CWD screening from the public, but instead coordinates all screening activities through its partnership with AGFC. Hunters can submit their samples to Game and Fish. Currently, there is no scientific evidence of CWD transmission to humans, pets or livestock under natural conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend having your deer tested for CWD and properly disposing of meat from animals that test positive for the disease. AGFC continues their surveillance activities and encourages Arkansans to report all sick deer and elk, 1-800-482-9262.
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