The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment is continuing to monitor Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), while implementing new mandatory testing for Bovine Tuberculosis (TB).
The Ministry is introducing mandatory testing for Bovine TB during the 2024-2025 hunting season for a couple of Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) near the Manitoba border.
“There was a detection of the disease in early 2023 in a cattle farm along the Manitoba border and as a result of that the Ministry’s working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to monitor the wildlife populations in the area to ensure that they remain disease free,” said provincial wildlife health specialist Dr. Iga Stasiak.
Hunters who draw elk in WMZ 37 and those hunting elk and white-tailed deer in WMZ 48 must submit the game heads for testing within one more of the harvest. Voluntary submissions of moose and mule deer in these zones are encouraged but are not mandatory.
Bovine TB is a contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects the respiratory system of animals, causing chronic debilitation and weight loss. While it can spread from animals to humans, such cases are extremely rare.
“It is very rare to have infection through field dressing practices and so i is very unlikely that a hunter would become infected and, of course, we have never detected the disease in wildlife in Saskatchewan, but we do advise routine hygiene precautions when field dressing. So, washing your hands, wearing gloves and thoroughly cooking the meat before consumption,” Stasiak said.
Stasiak added that there could be penalties handed out by conservation officers if the mandatory testing rules are not followed.
“That would be at the discretion of the conservation officer. Typically, that could be a fine. This is the first time implementing this program, so we are encouraging hunters to participate and ensure that they meet those conditions as outlined and hopefully we’ll get good participation this year,” Stasiak commented.
The Ministry is also continuing to track Chronic Wasting Disease, which poses a significant threat to wild deer, elk and moose populations in Saskatchewan. Since its first detection in deer in 2000, CWD has been found in 62 of Saskatchewan’s 83 wildlife management zones.
“It’s a good exercise to go thorough and try to help that science so that we can at some point hopefully start to reverse the trend,” explained Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Executive Director Darrell Crabbe.
Crabbe added that the animals usually don’t show signs of CWD until the later stages of the disease.
“If you do see it in that very late stage, you’ll see they’re disoriented, usually ribs showing very distinctly. A lot of times their actions show that their brain capacity has been impaired, and they’ll walk in circles, drool, those types of things,” said Crabbe.
To submit a head for testing for either Bovine TB or CWD, hunters should visit www.cwdsk.ca to register and receive a tracking number. Game heads should be double bagged with the tracking number attached. Heads can be dropped off at the kiosk at the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation here in Moose Jaw. Heads dropped off for Bovine TB will also be tested for CWD.
The Ministry emphasizes the importance of hunter participation in these testing programs. By submitting samples, hunters play a critical role in the early detection and management of these diseases, helping to protect Saskatchewan’s wildlife and public health.
For more information on the testing process and designated drop-off locations, hunters are encouraged to visit www.cwdsk.ca.