Colorado to Kill Hundreds of Deer to Stop Disease

Wed Apr 17,10:17 AM ET


DENVER (Reuters) - A fifth deer in northwestern Colorado has contracted a brain-wasting ailment akin to mad cow disease, prompting officials to order agents to shoot hundreds of deer to stop its spread, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

About 2-1/2 weeks ago, Colorado officials announced chronic wasting disease had crossed the Continental Divide for the first time, endangering the state's multimillion-dollar big game hunting industry. Officials do not know how the disease, which causes deer and elk to become emaciated and die, crossed the Rocky Mountains.

The percentage of the wild deer herd found with the disease is still below 1%. But because the deadly disease can spread quickly, about 40 state wildlife agents and a dozen volunteers will shoot deer and elk wandering within a 5-mile radius of where the diseased animals roamed. There is no reliable way to test live animals for the disease.

State wildlife agents want to act quickly because the spring migration period is approaching.

"Over the next several days we'll remove as many deer and elk from this specific spot as possible. We don't want those exposed to move out and we don't want other deer moving through to be exposed," Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Todd Malmsbury said.

So far, about 600 deer have been killed near Hayden, a town about 190 miles from Denver. By Friday, another several hundred deer and several hundred elk are expected to be shot, Malmsbury said.

State officials have said there is no evidence chronic wasting disease can spread to cattle or humans. But the World Health Organization (news - web sites) has advised against eating venison or any part of an animal showing signs of the disease.

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