The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been closely monitoring a situation in Arkansas.
It has been one that’s affecting the deer and elk population there, and it’s called Chronic Wasting Disease.
Officials said the disease can ruin herds of deer, elk, and moose because it's an infection of the brain, similar to mad cow disease.
Experts said it's not known to spread to humans or livestock.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported in February an elk tested positive for CWD. By March it had also been found in deer.
In Tennessee, the TWRA pointed out Arkansas is about 200 miles away from the state line, but they have a plan in place should it show up here.
“Chronic Wasting Disease, it can be devastating,” said Doug Markham, TWRA Communications Manager. “The deer hunting in Tennessee, deer and wildlife viewing in Tennessee, is a lucrative thing. The outdoors really is a billion dollar industry, and deer hunting and deer watching, and elk hunting and elk watching, is extremely important to Tennessee’s economy, so it would impact us in that way. Just the whole idea of deer being sick in large numbers would really leave a bad taste in anybody’s mouth as you watch these critters try to survive Chronic Wasting Disease.”
TWRA Director Ed Carter recently briefed the agency's governing commission about the issue.
One policy in place included restrictions on hunters regarding the transportation of carcasses from deer and elk into the state of Tennessee.
To learn more, visit the TWRA online by clicking here. To view handling restrictions when transporting carcasses, visit the Hunting Guide by clicking here.
