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Conservation officers have made an urgent appeal to find hunters suspected of killing potentially diseased deer in Alberta before taking them home to British Columbia.
The five mule deer were harvested south of Calgary, an area known to be affected by chronic wasting disease – a highly contagious and deadly illness that has not yet spread to BC.
The Conservation Officer Service received a tip that the hunters took the deer back to Nanaimo for processing after killing them.
The biggest risk of the disease spreading to BC is thought to be by the transportation of infected carcasses into the province by people.
“The concern is that the hunt took place in an area known for CWD, which can be devastating for wildlife populations,” the service said.
While the disease cannot be spread to humans, infected meat is still not fit for consumption.
The service added: “The disease can be transferred to cervids (members of the deer family) such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou from infected deer and carcasses. An animal may be contagious for months or even years before appearing sick.
“The Province has been monitoring for the disease since 2002. The Peace and East Kootenay regions have been targeted as high-risk areas for disease entry due to the disease’s presence in Alberta and Montana.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
To learn more about the disease, head to gov.bc.ca/chronicwastingdisease.ca
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