The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that deer farms in Sauk and Taylor counties have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Results were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
Positive samples were taken from a six-year-old doe in Taylor County and a nine-year-old buck in Sauk County. There is no connection between the two locations.
The 227 whitetail deer at the 22-acre double-fenced Taylor County farm and the two whitetail deer at the one-acre single-fenced Sauk County farm have been quarantined, meaning no live animals or whole carcasses are permitted to leave the property. The herds will remain 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.
