Editorial: Aggressive measures to prevent spread of deer disease are warranted

by The Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board
Tuesday September 09, 2008, 9:00 AM

WHY IT MATTERS
Keeping Michigan's deer herd healthy benefits the economy and honors the state's hunting heritage.

Deer hunting is big business in Michigan as well as a part of the state's hunting heritage. The recent discovery here of a deer with chronic wasting disease (CWD) rightly set off alarms. State officials responded swiftly, aggressively and appropriately by imposing restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the contagious and fatal neurological disease.

A three-year-old whitetail deer culled from a private Kent County deer farm tested positive for CWD two weeks ago. Infected animals display abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and a progressive weight loss until they die. So far, the Kent County case is the first and only one in Michigan. More than 50 other deer taken from that Kent farm were disease-free. That's certainly good news. But that one positive case should prompt an abundance of caution during the upcoming deer-hunting season. State officials, deer-breeders and hunters must all be extra vigilant about signs of CWD -- on private deer farms and in the wild.

A healthy deer herd is important to Michigan's financial health. Deer hunting annually has a $500 million impact on the state's economy, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The diseased deer triggered the state's CWD surveillance and response plan crafted six years ago by the DNR and the Department of Agriculture. It was designed to kick in if CWD was found within 50 miles of Michigan's border. The policy calls for the immediate end to baiting and feeding of deer within the entire peninsula in which the infected animal was detected -- in this case, the Lower Peninsula. Deer baiting, which encourages the animals to congregate, is believed to be one of the major ways CWD is spread. Putting out piles of fruit, or vegetables, or even salt licks is no longer allowed.

Carcass handling restrictions are also mandated in CWD "hot zones." That means hunters who kill deer in Algoma, Alpine, Cannon, Courtland, Nelson, Plainfield, Solon, Sparta and Tyrone townships must bring their kills to DNR check stations for CWD testing. It should also mean that state officials make sure these check stations are plentiful and convenient for hunters to access. Hunters already unhappy with the restrictions being imposed, shouldn't be given any reason not to comply.

The DNR must also be aggressive in enforcing the restrictions and prosecuting those who blow them off. The consequences of lax enforcement or spotty adherence could endanger the state's deer herd. CWD is contagious and always fatal. When the disease turned up in Wisconsin in 2002, it cost millions of dollars for testing and eradication efforts as well as the lives of thousands of deer.

Michigan's restrictions will likely be in place for the duration of the 2008 hunting season. DNR and Department of Agriculture officials wisely are planning meetings around the state to answer questions pertaining to CWD and the state's response to it.

The first meeting today in Grand Rapids should make clear that when it comes to combating CWD, it's better to be safe than sorry. The precautions the state has taken do not seem unreasonable.

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http://www.mlive.com/grpress/opinion/index.ssf/2008/09/editorial_aggressive_measures.html