WDFW Implements Urgent Regulations to Stop the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease

Emergency Rules are now in place because a deer was recently found with Chronic Wasting disease north of Spokane.  The rules mainly affect hunting units around Spokane.

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The rules take immediate effect and apply to transport of dead wildlife to other parts of Washington, and salvaged deer and elk MUST be tested for chronic wasting disease.

 As of Aug. 23, 2024, anyone who salvages a deer or elk in the CWD initial response area (IRA) of GMUs 124, 127, and 130 must submit the whole head with at least three inches of the neck attached, or extracted retropharyngeal lymph nodes at the base of the skull to WDFW for chronic wasting disease sampling within three days of receiving a salvage permit.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal illness for deer, elk, moose, and caribou.

The disease also known as zombie deer disease is caused by mutated proteins called prions, which can contaminate the environment. Chronic wasting disease can be transmitted between animals through feces, saliva, urine, and carcasses of infected animals. Most animals appear normal until the ending stages of the disease. CWD is not known to infect livestock or humans.

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There is no treatment and the prognosis is always fatal.

Chronic wasting disease can only be detected through testing of lymph nodes or brain tissue. You can read more about the WDFW emergency rules here.