Trempealeau County hunting ranch quarantined, after two bucks test positive for Chronic Wasting Disease
Two deer from a Trempealeau County ranch have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
That, according to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
All 505 animals on the 1,597-acre ranch are now being quarantined by DATCP — so no live animals or carcasses can leave the area.
The quarantine will remain while a DATCP epidemiological investigates, along with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians and staff.
The positive CWD sample came from two 3½-year-old whitetail bucks.
DATCP describes CWD as a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal’s brain. Testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animal’s death.
DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, record-keeping, disease testing, movement and permit.
Top photo: file photo