Jordan Carlson
Staff Writer
The risk of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been a growing issue in Wyoming since 2018, when the first case of CWD was found in a mule deer near Jackson, Wyoming.
This is why the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association are taking action by suing Wyoming.
CWD is caused by deformed proteins called prions, and is spread in animals, specifically those part of the deer family such as deer, elk and moose. CWD spreads through contact between infected animals to healthy animals through saliva, blood, feces and urine. It can also spread through infected soil and plants, including alfalfa, corn and tomatoes, according to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
CWD causes the infected animals brains to deteriorate, causing them to become extremely thin, have abnormal behavior, lose all control of bodily functions and finally death. This process can take up to 16 months to kill the animal, which is a large amount of time for the animal to spread the disease to others.
This becomes an issue due to elk unnaturally congregating along feedlines on the refuge, which has the perfect conditions for spreading the disease. It is also important to note that CWD not only infects the elk but also the environment around them, causing other species of animals to be susceptible to the disease.
Currently the National Elk Refuge in Jackson feeds the elk population alfalfa pellets in the winter to help sustain the population during bad winter months. It is meant to supplement the elk until they are able to graze on plants under the snow. There is currently a population of over 8,000 elk along these feedlines on the refuge.
The Sierra Group, however, argues the algae pellets may lead to the spread of the disease because of the artificial concentration of elk at the feedings. In response to the lawsuit, the National Elk Refuge said they will begin to delay the feedings for later in the winter to help the elk on the refugee to no longer rely on human help.
“The National Elk Refuge in Jackson is not delaying the feeding like they said in their step down program in 2007, and in November 2018, they delayed acting on the feedings once more,” said Timothy Preso, an Earthjustice attorney.
It will take at a minimum of two more years for the National Elk Refuge to put their plan into action if at all.
With the impending risk of CWD in the northwest part of the state, it currently
puts in jeopardy the statewide tradition of hunting for meat in Wyoming.
“Currently hunters are told not to eat the meat infected by CWD. This prevents them from feeding their family until the next season with game meat, which is a very old tradition in Wyoming,” Preso said.
While a lot of the state is already infected with CWD, it is the goal of this lawsuit to protect Northwest Wyoming and the greater Yellowstone region from the disease.
“Wyoming is the only state that still feeds their elk in the winter, Montana, Colorado and Idaho have all stopped and they still sustain healthy elk populations,” Preso said.
While taking away the feed lines at the refuge will diminish the population, the population will still be large and much healthier then if CWD made its way into the refuge.
While the National Elk Refuge has started to take steps to prevent the spread of CWD, it may not be fast enough. Due to the rising cases of CWD in Wyoming and other parts of the nation, it may be important to reduce the amount of unnatural concentrations of these animals.
