Serious funding to battle CWD is on the way. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) occurs when a prion in a cervid’s central nervous system misfolds. Once this happens, the animal’s normal behaviors waver over time, and eventually, death occurs. The animals lose weight, become disorganized, increase drinking, walk in patterns, and show other odd behaviors. The first confirmed case of CWD occurred in Colorado in 1967 and since that time CWD has been found in multiple states, provinces, and Europe.
In December of 2021, The US House of Representatives passed legislation to help with CWD research and management in the form of funding. Following up on that move the US Senate has introduced the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act. If passed it would allow multiple agencies the following:
- 70 million per year for the next seven years. The funds would be split 35 million to provide education programs and techniques to prevent the spread of CWD. Another 35 million per year would be used for research, new detection methods, and barriers to transmission.
Various state and federal agencies that are trying to tackle this issue would instantly get a boost provided by this funding. They would help to spotlight the more significant issue at hand that CWD is becoming a real threat to deer, elk, moose, and other cervids. This would also allow agencies to inspect the possibility of the disease jumping to humans.
CWD and Wildlife Management
CWD unfortunately is here to stay and has made wildlife management a tricky proposition. A few examples of management changes because of CWD happened this year in both Colorado and Idaho. In Colorado, the state has released a statement about what it intends to do for the next five years with its deer herd. You can read our coverage of this story by clicking here. Likewise, Idaho has made major changes to two hunting units after CWD was found in Idaho for the first time last year. You can read our most recent coverage of this ongoing story by clicking here.
You can read more about this funding for CWD by clicking here. Thanks for reading.
So, what are your thoughts on this funding for CWD? have you ever taken an animal with CWD? Let us know in the comments!
