A highly contagious neurological disease has been found in a deer in the Flathead Valley. This is the first detection for this area.
Reports of a sick white-tailed deer wandering around the Flathead County Landfill sent Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists to the area. After euthanizing and testing the animal, the agency found it was positive for Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD. Dillon Tabish is the FWP’s Northwestern Region spokesperson.
“This is the first time that we have detected chronic wasting disease in a wild deer in hunting District 170, which encompasses most of the Flathead Valley. So unfortunately, we are now on the map as a place where CWD has been detected,” said Tabish.
CWD is caused by abnormal proteins that eat holes in the brain and has no known cure. It has been spreading across North America killing deer, elk, and moose across 31 states and 5 Canadian provinces and was first found in Montana in 2017.
There’s little evidence to suggest the disease can be eliminated once found in a region. Although it hasn’t been found to pass on to humans, FWP advises not eating CWD positive animals and disposing of any infected carcasses.
FWP’s goal now is to manage herds to try and reduce the spread.. Tabish says hunters play a crucial role in making sure to voluntarily test their animals.
“Samples will help us understand the possible prevalence and spread. So that's where the hunters come in,” said Tabish.
For the first time this year, FWP began requiring CWD testing for all deer, elk and moose hunted in the Libby area. Testing will be optional in the Flathead Valley, but Tabish hopes hunters will opt in to provide important data.
