Written by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News.
The images flooding Facebook today have been tough to look at.
Piles upon piles of dead white-tailed deer with their heads chopped off.
The reason for the killing is state-mandated testing for Chronic Wasting Disease. No live testing has been approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or the Texas Animal Health Commission, so the state has ordered deer at scientific breeding facilities across Texas to be killed, their heads removed and sent to a lab to see if they have CWD.
Photo by John Scott Hueske
As gruesome as the images look, it is harder talking to people whose livelihoods are being affected by this slaughter.
For deer breeders, hunters, families that took care of the deer and children who raised them from fawns, it is a tough day.
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10 comments
Has the kill extended beyond the breed lines of the original infection?
Yes, Dave. Breeders who haven’t been in the program for five years are having to kill deer to meet the states requirements, irregardless of having any connection to the original breeder facility. We have a link to the final plan here: http://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/executive_orders/rule_15-003.pdf
Interesting, the Missouri MDC seems to have a live test. They use it in their elk relocation projects. Don’t these agencies talk to each other?
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/wildlife-restoration/elk-restoration/elk-restoration-background/elk-restoration-plan
“Since 2000, there has been significant progress made in our understanding of chronic wasting disease (CWD), including a live-animal test for elk. Our extensive animal health protocols include testing all elk for chronic wasting disease.”
TP&W does not want to hear there is a live test that other states are already using. This is not about the breeder deer infecting the native deer . This is about making it so hard on deer breeders and high fence release sites that you will give it up. This is a agenda based protocol . Also this is one time texas animal health, the disease experts did not use the same protocol they use on all animal diseases. You go to the source facility with the problem and then trace animals in and out of that facility. You dont impose killing animals and new restrictions on a facility 300 miles away with no connection to that infected facility. Nobody in their right mind can tell me this is right
When options are available and state agencies want to be Neanderthal towards progress, it makese sick. The State of Texas and TPWD will be laughing stock of nation. Parks could have been the leader to advance education about this NON FATAL disease. It does not depopulate a herd. See Wisconsin, South Dakota, or heck even look at Wyoming and Colorado. They don’t have hunting seasons no longer do they???? What we have is an elitist group of large land owners that believe they are only places on earth God will bless with a big deer. Grow up people. And the female ( I would never call a lady) I have met her spews venom out. Whatever happened to love thy neighbor. The TWA and some of their tactics makes a Life Time Mber want to puke listening to her. The TPWD acts like they have been given an Obama Executive Pen stuck where the sun does not shine. Have a great day. MF
In my opinion the state is not doing enough to control the spread of this disease, they should not allow transportation of any deer in Texas until this disease is isolated. Last year the breeder in Medina county sent deer to 150 different ranches and they might all be exposed. The deer they are killing and testing at the Medina County facility are not the property of the deer breeder they belong to the people of Texas. If this disease gets into the wild population it might not have that big of an effect on the deer but it will affect land prices and decimate the local economy of West and South Tx. dependent on the deer hunting industry. I just wonder how many families will want to go hunt and eat a deer that might or might not have CWD I know that my wife would not take that chance!
Mr. King CWD was first found in Texas in 2012 in the wild population. As long as hunters harvest deer anywhere and transporting the carcass back home they are also spreading CWD. Also, since the rate of testing is less than 1% of wild deer harvested the chances are you have already consumed venison from a deer with CWD if harvested in Texas where CWD was found over 3 years ago. Breeders volunteered for the CWD testing and because they test at a extremely higher rate than wild deer are tested, it is common sense to understand that it would be found where testing was 100%. Not one single deer that has been killed and tested has came back positive. The only positive deer are from the ranch that the original positive was found. I do not hunt but instead of being upset at breeders, I believe I would be upset that 3 years after cwd was found in texas it is just now become a situation of critical concern. Did you even know that wild deer have been running around for years infecting other wild deer in Texas? Where was the yell of “off with their heads then?”
Terri, transportation is the key, without it the disease would probably spread at a slow rate. If deer are allowed to be transported and released all across Texas it could get ugly. And by the way deer breeder the deer you have been growing like cattle ARE NOT YOUR PROPERTY!
LSON is a great publication. Sorry to see LSON throwing TPWD under the bus, when they, along with TAHC, the appointed CWD Task Force, and other stakeholder representatives spent tremendous time shaping the protocols that are now in place. Reps from the deer breeding industry leadership agreed to support these protocols, but have now changed their color?
” No live testing has been approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or the Texas Animal Health Commission.”
WHY NOT???? This is absurd & unconsciously wasteful. Not to mention, HEART BREAKING!
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