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FWC considers rule banning importation of live deer to avoid disease

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To protect Florida’s deer from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is proposing to ban the importation of live captive deer. 

CWD is a contagious neurological disease presently found in cervids such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose in 22 state and two Canadian provinces. Fortunately, CWD has not been found to affect humans.

The rule-change proposal will go before the Commission at its June 13 meeting in Lakeland. The FWC encourages anyone with an interest in the subject go to MyFWC.com/Deer and select “Captive Cervids” to read more on the proposal and offer any comments.

Under current rules, live deer can be transported into Florida under certain conditions. Live deer have to come from a captive facility with no positive CWD cases for at least five years. However, even with long-term monitoring, CWD continues to appear in captive herds. Just recently CWD was discovered in a captive deer herd in Pennsylvania.

“This is a proactive step and one that we believe is the best option to minimize the possibility of CWD being introduced into Florida,” said Cory Morea, FWC statewide white-tail deer coordinator. “Our neighboring states, Georgia and Alabama, do not allow the importation of live deer. Infected deer can appear healthy for a time, meaning that a CWD-positive animal could be mistakenly brought in. We want to avoid that possibility.”

CWD affects the brain of infected animals, resulting in emaciation and abnormal behavior. The disease is always fatal to cervids and there is no vaccine or cure for the animals.

States where CWD is found include Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

More information about CWD is available at www.CWD-info.org.


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