A deer with Chronic Wasting Disease was taken near Preston in southeast Minnesota by an archer over the opening weekend for that season. It's the 18th deer found with CWD since 2016 in that specific deer permit area.

Lou Cornicelli, a wildlife researcher for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said, "We're appreciative of hunters' willingness to help us combat CWD by complying with mandatory sampling regulations." He added, "This discovery highlights the importance and necessity of our disease surveillance efforts."

The adult male deer was harvested about a mile east of Preston near the center of the management zone. Testing will continue on deer through the firearms season as well.

The DNR reports that CWD is an infectious disease that occurs in North American deer and several other types of animal. It is fatal and has no treatment. The disease was first discovered in Colorado in 1967. It has since been found in nearly 20 states and provinces in Canada. Though no connection to ill effects in humans has been determined, officials recommend meat from infected animals should not be consumed.

 

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