MDC is offering statewide voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at locations throughout the state.
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports it has recently confirmed the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) found in Pulaski County. The confirmed case is from an adult male deer harvested by a hunter near Waynesville. A tissue sample was collected from the deer for CWD testing as part of MDC’s routine annual statewide surveillance for the disease.
MDC will provide hunters in the Pulaski County area with opportunities to have their harvested deer sampled for CWD testing. MDC is also offering statewide voluntary CWD sampling and testing of harvested deer during the entire deer season at select locations throughout the state, including participating MDC offices, cooperating taxidermists, and new freezer head-drop locations. Sampling and test results are free. Find locations and more information online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd or by contacting an MDC regional office.
CWD is a deadly disease in white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, called cervids. The disease has no vaccine or cure and eventually kills all cervids it infects. There have been no reported cases of CWD infecting people, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommends having deer tested for CWD if harvested in an area known to have the disease. The CDC also recommends not eating meat from animals that test positive for CWD. Properly dispose of the meat through a trash service. Get more information on CWD in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
