PINEDALE, Wyo. — On Friday, Feb. 14, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in two adult female elk from Elk Hunt Area 87 at the Dell Creek feedground. This is the second confirmed instance of elk testing positive at a feedground, following a previous detection of CWD at the Scab Creek feedground in December.
According to a WGFD press release, for these new cases one elk was found dead in January, followed by the second in early February. WGFD confirms that department personnel have investigated the sites, collected samples and removed the carcasses.
“It was not unexpected given this disease continues to spread throughout the West.”
Wildlife Division Deputy Chief Justin Binfet
”It is unfortunate and concerning to find CWD on an elk feedground;” says Wildlife Division Deputy Chief Justin Binfet in the release. “However, it was not unexpected given this disease continues to spread throughout the West. In anticipation of the spread of CWD to elk feedgrounds, the department created its Elk Feedground Management Plan, which will guide wildlife managers to work to minimize and mitigate CWD risks and look for long-term solutions to disease transmission on feedgrounds.”
WGFD writes that CWD is 100 percent fatal to infected deer, elk and moose, and that department personnel will continue to closely monitor feedgrounds for elk showing signs of CWD.
Game and Fish personnel from the Jackson and Pinedale regions are currently developing the first Feedground Management Action Plans (FMAPs) for the Jackson and Pinedale herds to identify both long and short-term strategies to reduce the elk’s reliance on feedgrounds and mitigate the risks of disease transmission.
After completing the initial FMAP process for the Pinedale Herd, WGFD writes that the Region will determine which herd to prioritize next.
