CWD Reported At Portage County Deer Farm

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that two white-tailed deer at a Portage County hunt ranch have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Positive samples were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

The 200-acre farm and its herd of approximately 370 deer are under quarantine while an epidemiological investigation is conducted by DATCP and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians and staff.

CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal’s brain, and testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animal’s death. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, recordkeeping, disease testing, movement, and permit requirements.

More information

• About CWD: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ChronicWastingDisease.aspx
• DATCP’s farm-raised deer program: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/FarmRaisedDeer.aspx