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StumbleuponMichigan on CWD alert; Ohio still clear
Friday, September 05, 2008
Ohio continues to be free of the dreaded white-tailed deer affliction — chronic wasting disease — but, unfortunately, Michigan can no longer make that claim.
The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources have confirmed that state's first case of CWD in a 3-year-old doe from a privately owned facility in Kent County.
"Currently, one of our top concerns is to confirm that the disease is not in free-ranging deer," Michigan DNR Director Rebecca Humphries said. "We are asking hunters this fall to assist us by visiting check stations to allow us to take biological samples from the deer they harvest, so we can perform adequate surveillance of the free-ranging white-tailed deer herd in the area."
Officials are investigating the case, but have not determined where that doe came from, since private wildlife facilities often buy deer from other states. They said that particular facility has recorded no escaped deer in recent years.
Soon after tests confirmed the doe had CWD, USDA officials killed 50 deer at the facility and sent their carcasses to Michigan State University for testing. Tests can confirm CWD only from a dead animal.
As a precaution, Michigan has set up a CWD watch zone in Kent and surrounding counties in the western part of the Lower Peninsula. The state might cull deer from nearby herds to check for the disease. Michigan has also banned the transportation of all live deer, elk and moose throughout the state.
Ohio continues to test for CWD each year, checking hunter-killed deer, road kills and any sick deer, but so far has not found it in either captive or free-ranging deer.
It seeks to require an 8-foot minimum fence height for white-tailed deer held in captivity and the participation of captive white-tailed deer propagators in Ohio's Chronic Wasting Disease Monitoring Program or CWD testing of deer that die at their facility.
Open houses are scheduled in each wildlife district Sept. 13 where all proposals will be discussed. A statewide hearing will be held at 9 a.m. on Sept. 25 at the wildlife division's District One Office, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus. After considering public input, the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on proposed rules during its Oct. 15 meeting.
Comments can also be sent to Division of Wildlife, 2045 Morse Road, Columbus, Ohio 43229 or by e-mail to wildinfo@dnr.state.oh.us. Type "wildlife proposed rule change" in the subject line.
For information, visit michigan.gov/emerging diseases, wildohio.com or call (800) 945-3543.
Open house
When: Noon to 3 p.m., Sept. 13
Where: Division of Wildlife, 1076 Old Springfield Pike, Xenia
Info: (937) 372-9261
Short shots
Store has moved: The Second Time Around Fishing Tackle Shop has a new location. It's at the rear of Brunk's Cut-N-Carve Meat Shoppe, 8634 N. Dixie Drive. The phone number is (937) 475-7997.
Contact this reporter at
(937) 225-2409 or
jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
