Post by Woody Williams on Oct 25, 2007 19:16:14 GMT -5
DNR NEWS
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
402 W. Washington St. W255 B
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2748
Phone: (317) 232-4200
For immediate release: Oct. 25, 2007
Procedure to protect Indiana deer from out-of-state disease works
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a contagious neurological deer disease that has been found in the Midwest but never in Indiana, was recently detected in a deer that an Indiana hunter shot in Wyoming to bring back home.
Thanks to that hunter's knowledge and following of proper procedure, there is no threat of the spread of CWD from the deer.
After the hunter shot the deer during his out-of-state trip, he submitted a sample to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for routine testing. He then had the meat deboned before shipping it back to Indiana.
When the deer tested positive for CWD, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department contacted both the Indiana DNR and the hunter. A DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist has collected the meat, which will be incinerated at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University.
After the hunter informed DNR Law Enforcement that he wanted to have the deer mounted, DNR notified the taxidermist that he would be working on a CWD-positive animal. Dr. Jennifer Strasser, a veterinarian with the Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) and a DNR conservation officer visited the taxidermist to answer questions and ensure that the potentially infected materials were properly disposed of.
"As long as the skull cap and cape are cleaned properly, the hunter can safely keep the mount," Strasser said.
For other Hoosier hunters making out-of-state trips in pursuit of deer and other cervids, this occurrence serves as a reminder to follow set procedures to protect the herds back home in Indiana.
The restrictions set by the DNR and BOAH are in effect for all harvested cervids, regardless of the state where the animal was taken. Cervids include white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose; plus exotics such as red deer, Sika deer, Japanese deer, and spotted deer.
Only the following items from harvested cervids are allowed to be brought into Indiana:
· Commercially processed meat, which may contain bone
· Carcasses or parts of carcasses, if they do not contain portions of the head, spinal cord, or small intestine
· Carcasses or parts of carcasses that include the head, spinal cord, or small intestine, if they are delivered within 72 hours to either a meat processor inspected by BOAH for processing, a commercial deer processor registered with the DNR for processing, or a taxidermist licensed by the DNR
· Antlers, including antlers attached to the skull cap, if the skull cap is cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue
· Hides
· Upper canine teeth
· Finished taxidermist mounts
For additional information, contact BOAH (317) 227-0300 and animalhealth@boah.in.gov ,or see
www.in.gov/dnr/deerhealth/cwd.htm
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
402 W. Washington St. W255 B
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2748
Phone: (317) 232-4200
For immediate release: Oct. 25, 2007
Procedure to protect Indiana deer from out-of-state disease works
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a contagious neurological deer disease that has been found in the Midwest but never in Indiana, was recently detected in a deer that an Indiana hunter shot in Wyoming to bring back home.
Thanks to that hunter's knowledge and following of proper procedure, there is no threat of the spread of CWD from the deer.
After the hunter shot the deer during his out-of-state trip, he submitted a sample to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for routine testing. He then had the meat deboned before shipping it back to Indiana.
When the deer tested positive for CWD, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department contacted both the Indiana DNR and the hunter. A DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist has collected the meat, which will be incinerated at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University.
After the hunter informed DNR Law Enforcement that he wanted to have the deer mounted, DNR notified the taxidermist that he would be working on a CWD-positive animal. Dr. Jennifer Strasser, a veterinarian with the Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) and a DNR conservation officer visited the taxidermist to answer questions and ensure that the potentially infected materials were properly disposed of.
"As long as the skull cap and cape are cleaned properly, the hunter can safely keep the mount," Strasser said.
For other Hoosier hunters making out-of-state trips in pursuit of deer and other cervids, this occurrence serves as a reminder to follow set procedures to protect the herds back home in Indiana.
The restrictions set by the DNR and BOAH are in effect for all harvested cervids, regardless of the state where the animal was taken. Cervids include white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose; plus exotics such as red deer, Sika deer, Japanese deer, and spotted deer.
Only the following items from harvested cervids are allowed to be brought into Indiana:
· Commercially processed meat, which may contain bone
· Carcasses or parts of carcasses, if they do not contain portions of the head, spinal cord, or small intestine
· Carcasses or parts of carcasses that include the head, spinal cord, or small intestine, if they are delivered within 72 hours to either a meat processor inspected by BOAH for processing, a commercial deer processor registered with the DNR for processing, or a taxidermist licensed by the DNR
· Antlers, including antlers attached to the skull cap, if the skull cap is cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue
· Hides
· Upper canine teeth
· Finished taxidermist mounts
For additional information, contact BOAH (317) 227-0300 and animalhealth@boah.in.gov ,or see
www.in.gov/dnr/deerhealth/cwd.htm
