For the first time, a fatal brain malady found in elk and deer has been discovered in north-central Wyoming.

A white-tailed buck and a mule deer taken in the Kaycee area last month both were found to have chronic wasting disease, or CWD, Wyoming Game and Fish officials announced Friday.

"Although CWD has been found in southeastern Wyoming for a number of years, this is the first time we have found CWD in the east slope Big Horn Mountains," said Warren Mischke, spokesman for the agency's Sheridan Region.

The white-tailed deer was killed by a hunter Oct. 22 and taken to a local processing plant.

Department personnel noticed the animal was very thin and decided to collect the lymph nodes for analysis. The Game and Fish lab in Laramie reported the result Nov. 12.

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Source: abc 4 :: News
November 21, 2004

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