Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a highly contagious disease in deer, elk and other members of the cervid family. This disease, with no known cure, attacks the brain and nervous system. It has been detected in 36 states and within captive cervid facilities in 22 states.
Why is this important to know? In December of 2023, a deer harvested in Ballard County tested positive for CWD. In order to protect Kentucky’s wild deer and elk population, important measures must be put in place to contain the spread.
This is where your action is needed. House Bill 700, an important bill to help protect the wild deer and elk population in the Bluegrass State, is stuck in the House. There are very few days of the legislative session left, so it is CRITICAL that you use our Take Action button to email your state representative and senator urging them to ask leadership to bring this important legislation up for a vote and to vote “Yes” on HB 700 when it comes before them. HB 700 may not stop CWD, but without it, Kentucky’s deer and elk populations don’t stand a chance. This is your chance to be a part of protecting Kentucky’s important wildlife resources.
HB 700 outlines the boundaries of a CWD Surveillance Zone related to the exportation of cervid carcass parts and wild cervids. A surveillance zone would include any county within a 30-mile radius of a CWD detection. When less than 10 percent of a county is within the 30-mile radius, that county would not be included in the surveillance zone. The surveillance-zone designation expires when there has been no CWD detections in the zone for five years. The bill also prohibits the movement of captive cervids outside of a 10-mile radius from a captive facility that had a CWD detection. It does not prohibit the interstate movement of cervids. Exemptions have been added to allow the movement of deer parts and allow breeding of captive deer inside the facility in which the cervid is housed.
A committee substitute was filed and adopted to declare the bill an emergency and adds an exemption that would allow a captive deer farmer to build a secondary fence 10-feet inside the facility’s perimeter to serve as a buffer between wild deer and the captive herd. If that secondary fence is built before a CWD detection within 10 miles of the facility, the operator could export captive cervids to other facilities within the state.
Make sure you share this critical alert with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. The Bluegrass State needs all its sportsmen and -women contacting their state Representatives and Senators TODAY urging them to bring HB 700 up for a vote. Kentucky’s deer and elk cannot ask for protection from CWD. It is up to us to ensure and protect the health and management of our state’s wildlife resources. Ask your friends and family to take action and join the fight with you and the Sportsmen’s Alliance to protect our deer and elk population.
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