For the Tomahawk Leader
LINCOLN COUNTY – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced on Friday, Nov. 18 that a five-year-old whitetail buck at a deer farm in Lincoln County tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
A release from DATCP said the samples were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The farm has been placed under quarantine, where it will remain while DATCP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians and staff conduct an epidemiological investigation, according to the release.
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. 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.