South Texas Wildlife, Volume 25, Number 3, Fall 2021 Page: 3
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The Past, Present, and Future of
Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas
by Calvin C. Ellis, Levi J. Heffelfinger, and
Michael J. Cherry
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurologi-
cal disease found in the cervid family, which includes
deer, moose, caribou, and elk. Identified in 1967 at a
captive deer facility in Colorado, CWD has expanded
throughout the United States and Canada. Transmission
occurs when a healthy animal encounters prions (that
cause misfolded proteins) that were shed in an infected
animal's saliva, urine, blood, feces, or carcass after death.
Prions accumulate in the brain and other tissues lead-
ing to neurological distress, emaciation, and ultimately
death. These prions can persist in the environment for
years, making effective management plans crucial for
mitigating the effects of the disease.
In 2012, the first case of CWD in a free-range mule
deer population in Texas was discovered in the Trans-
Pecos in the Hueco Mountains. The disease was first
detected in white-tailed deer in Texas at a deer breeding
facility in Medina County in 2015. The resulting inves-
tigation and increased testing in Medina County led to
positive detections in four additional breeding facilities
and two adjacent deer release sites. Two years later,
CWD was detected in free-ranging white-tailed deer in
Medina County. To date, CWD has since been detected
in 260 captive or free-range cervids including white-
tailed deer, mule deer, and elk in 14 Texas counties. In
2021, Texas experienced an expansion of CWD into
multiple counties. In February, a free-range mule deer
tested positive in Lubbock County. White-tailed deer
from captive facilities in Hunt, Mason, and MatagordaCounties also tested positive for CWD. Most recently,
CWD was detected at a captive breeding facility in Duval
County in late August 2021.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are work-
ing together to continually develop and adapt CWD
Management Plans that mitigate risks, develop manage-
ment strategies, and protect big game resources. One
example is the development of CWD containment and
surveillance zones where special regulations apply,
such as mandatory CWD testing and carcass move-
ment restrictions for all harvested deer. The current
Editor's Note: Calvin Ellis is a graduate student. Dr. Levi Heffelfinger is a
Senior Research Instructor, and Dr. Michael Cherry is the Stuart W. Stedman
Chair for White-tailed Deer Research Professor and Research Scientist. All are
with the CKWRI.containment or surveillance zones are the Trans-Pecos,
Panhandle, Lubbock County, Hunt County, Val Verde
County, Kimble County, and South-Central CWD
Zones. These surveillance zones are established by set-
ting a buffer around areas with known positives. CWD
has yet to be detected in these zones but that is not proof
the disease is absent; therefore, mandatory testing and
other management practices are implemented. Recent
surveillance zone expansions include areas of Hunt,
Rockwall, Kaufman, and Van Zandt Counties.
Levi Heffelfinger
Beyond the CWD threats of moving cervids between captive facili-
ties, landscape attributes can also serve as sources of congregation
increasing possible transmission rates.
Wildlife managers throughout Texas have always
placed a strong emphasis on adaptive management
through research, which is vital in managing CWD.
Recently, researchers at Texas A&M's College of
Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences devel-
oped a genomic tool which can predict susceptibility to
CWD in white-tailed deer. Currently, Caesar Kleberg
Wildlife Research Institute along with TPWD are
.n jue
reeacin dsera of jueieml eradwietailed deer in the Texas panhandle to determine potential
movement corridors where the risk for spread of CWD
may increase.
While research is being conducted, there are mul-
tiple recommendations landowners can act upon to be
proactive in managing against CWD on their properties.
With CWD prions being spread by bodily fluids (e.g.,
saliva), supplemental feeding and bait sites where deer
congregate (feeders, food plots, mineral blocks, etc.)
increase the risk for transmission. Reducing or remov-
ing these locations on your property can reduce risk
and prevent spread. Proper disposal of carcasses from
CWD-threatened areas include incineration, disposing
in a permitted landfill (if from a CWD negative region),
burying carcasses 6 feet deep, or leaving carcasses on
site. Further, proper decontamination of tools and work
surfaces are other safe practices you can follow.3
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Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. South Texas Wildlife, Volume 25, Number 3, Fall 2021, periodical, Autumn 2021; Kingsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1659856/m1/3/: accessed June 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.