News Release

For Immediate Release
3/31/2009 		Contact
Jonathan Sleeman, Wildlife Veterinarian, 434-295-2803
Cale Godfrey, Assistant Director of Wildlife Division, 804-367-6482

NOTE: This news release was distributed on 3/31/2009. The information below may no longer be the most up-to-date information available, or may pertain solely to events that occurred in the past. Please contact the person listed as the contact person for this release for the most current information.

VDGIF Asking Citizens to Assist in CWD Surveillance

Richmond, VA — The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is asking citizens for assistance with the agencys continuing surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Since 2002, 4431 samples have been collected by VDGIF for CWD testing, and CWD has not been detected in any deer in Virginia.

Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal neurological disease that infects members of the deer family, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The disease is believed to be caused by abnormally shaped proteins (termed "prions") that deteriorate brain tissue and cause a deer to starve to death due to difficulties ingesting food (hence the term "wasting" disease). CWD has been detected in two Canadian provinces and 15 states, including West Virginia. To date, 38 deer in Hampshire County, West Virginia, have tested positive for the disease. Symptoms of a CWD-infected deer include, staggering, abnormal posture, lowered head, drooling, acting confused, and marked weight loss.

Anyone who sees a sick deer that displays any of the signs described above should contact the nearest VDGIF regional office immediately with accurate location information. Please do not attempt to disturb or kill the deer before contacting the VDGIF.

During the 2008-2009 hunting season, more than 250 hunter-killed and vehicle-killed white-tailed deer from the CWD Surveillance Area in western Frederick and Shenandoah Counties (the counties closest to where CWD has been detected in West Virginia) were sampled and tested for CWD. More than 25 captive deer of several species and 22 clinical suspect white-tailed deer from across the state were also tested. Again, no evidence of CWD was found.

For additional information on CWD, please visit the Department's Web site at www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/.