Well, it's easy to see that this topic is as lively as usual!

Sag...with regard to Nick's questions, he's right. The DNR never answered many of them, other than to say "we don't know". In fairness, it is not unexpected that the DNR would not have ALL the answers with regard to CWD. No one does. The problem isn't their lack of answers, but their forcing of a "solution" that basically calls for the extermination of all the deer in any infected area. Again, with regard to their solution...why??? Let me focus for a second on Nick's question number 7.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Although CWD was first documented in free-ranging deer and elk in southeast Wyoming and northeast Colorado in the 1980s, it is likely the disease has been present at least 30 to 50 years, Thorne adds. During that time there has been no corresponding incidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases in humans in the area.

He also challenged statements that CWD “is found across the West.” “Chronic wasting disease has only been found in free-ranging deer and elk in southeast Wyoming, northeast Colorado and one positive case in the very western portion of the Nebraska panhandle,” he said. “In the affected area of Wyoming and Colorado tests show only 4 to 5 percent of deer have the disease and the rate is much lower for elk.”<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Let me repeat: 30 to 50 years!!!

That by the way is stated by Dr. Tom Thorne, wildlife veterinarian and Services Division chief for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
This isn't some crackpot conspiracy theorist. Also, something else:

1) CWD was first discovered in the wild in the 1980's. Since that time, the population of deer in Wyoming and Colorado have increased, not decreased. Hardly indicative of any calamatous epidemic.

2) The rate of infection stated here in this thread in WI is a little less than 3%. This corresponds very closely with the 4-5% rate out West. As I stated above, this seems to contradict the contention that higher deer densities here would lead to higher infection rates.

The problem is not that the DNR does not have all the answers. The problem is that the DNR is reaching straight for the nuclear weapons to contend with this problem without having more answers than they do.

Edited by - TJD on 10/23/2002 21:46:49