No other animals have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease after a Burnett County, Wisconsin elk herd was depopulated.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services depopulated the herd in April of 2020 after a six-year-old elk was euthanized last year due to an injury. Although it showed no symptoms of CWD, it tested positive for the disease and caused the rest of the herd to be quarantined.
According to a press release from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the farm owner will receive federal indemnity for the depopulated animals after completing the required cleaning and disinfecting.
The farm will not be permitted to hold CWD-susceptible species in the elk pen for five years, and it must maintain fences and submit to routine inspections.
Image courtesy of National Park Service.