Minnesota DNR: Chronic wasting disease detected in deer near Wabasha
WABASHA, Minn. — A deer harvested in southeastern Minnesota during opening weekend has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
State officials say the hunter harvested a male deer within the southeastern Minnesota CWD surveillance zone, where hunters are required to have deer tested for CWD during firearm opening weekend.
The Minnesota DNR says it added deer permit area 342, where the deer was found, to the surveillance zone this year in response to detections of CWD in neighboring Buffalo County, Wisconsin last year.
MORE NEWS: Prior Lake firefighters rescue deer stranded on thin ice
In response, the DNR requires three years of mandatory testing in DPA 342 and surrounding deer permit areas to help determine the prevalence of the disease.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects cervids. It is relatively rare in Minnesota.
Since 2002, 236 deer out of over 130,000 tested by the Minnesota DNR have tested positive for CWD. Most cases occurred in southeastern Minnesota.
