History of Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first recognized as a clinical disease in 1967 in Colorado.  As of December 2005, CWD has been found in 14 states and 2 Canadian Provinces: Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.  CWD has NOT been detected in Kentucky.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal, neurological disease, characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain.  It affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and has recently been confirmed in a moose.  CWD belongs to a group of diseases called Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE), which includes Scrapie in sheep and goats, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (commonly known as "mad cow” disease) in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans.  It is suspected that the agent responsible for causing TSEs is an abnormal protein called a prion.  There is currently no treatment or vaccine available.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Program

Program requirements include fencing (monitored by Kentucky Fish & Wildlife), individual animal identification, regular inventories, and testing of all animals over 12 months of age that die for any reason. With each year of successful surveillance, participating herds will advance in status. State agriculture agencies are responsible for safeguarding the health of domestic livestock including alternative livestock species such as deer and elk. When native wildlife species are farmed the jurisdictions become more complex. Regulatory authority for captive cervids in Kentucky lies with the State agriculture agency and the wildlife agency. Kentucky has established CWD surveillance and/or herd certification programs and import requirements for captive cervids.

Cervid Restrictions

Due to the threat of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to Kentucky's deer and elk resources, any member of the family Cervidae (deer and elk including reindeer) originating from outside of Kentucky is prohibited from entering Kentucky by Executive Order 2002-1256. This includes importation and transportation of out-of-state cervid through Kentucky.

Captive Deer Herds in Kentucky

Kentucky has approximately 75 captive deer herds with a herd status of approximately 1400 deer and 250 elk.  All of which are inspected 4 times a year by a Kentucky Department of Agriculture inspector with one visit per year including a representative from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.  An annual census and veterinarian inspection of the herd is also performed.