What is the best way to regulate deer farms so that they can still exist, but without harming the health of Wisconsin's wild deer?
Background
CWD is a disease that is affecting many deer in Wisconsin, especially those in deer farms. CWD is a disease that causes weight loss of animals by rapid and uncontrollable wasting (pooping/peeing). CWD is formed by misfolded proteins called prion (brain disease), which is consumed, and affects directly in the brain and causes the side effects of rapid wasting. Symptoms usually take 1 year to show, and can be transferred from deer to deer (or any animal) by silva or eaten meat.
The first case was found in 1967 in captive bred animals in Carolina from deers eating feed, with later cases found in the wild around the Wyoming and and southern Carolina area, which later spread to Wisconsin in 2001 with its first 3 cases (unknown on how it was introduced). Now, CWD has expanded to over 100 cases within Wisconsin's 338 registered farms, with unknown numbers reported in the wild (an estimated 100,000 wild deer infected since 1999 when first monitored).
Deer farming is an easier way to hunt (like canned hunting) and draws many hunters looking for a quick trophy to post on instagram. Other than hunting, people can buy meat, and of course consume the meat. A deer farm is also like a zoo, people can come and visit- with a small fee- and play with the deer. Deer farming has become a staple income for many living in Wisconsin, so the problem cannot be extinguished by removing deer farms. On average, raising A SINGLE deer can net the farmers $15,000. Starting a deer farm costs about $80,000, but has the potential to bring in 2-3 times the amount.
Deer farms are a problem because deers escape. Deers often hop over fences and escape, which spreads the disease, killing the deer, which lowers the population. It is also said to be able to affect humans, with no known cases yet to be recorded- it is still plausible.
Removing the farms has been a potential solution. While the DNR has many solutions, it's all up to the state on how they want to execute any/all solutions presented.
Current Status
Deer farms are not legal in most states (they started in the 1970’s for sporting).
Wisconsin counts deer as livestock. Deers are being bred with CWD, then are released into the wild for hunting. (Legal canned hunting). A buck is worth $15,000 per head. $6,500 per venison, 520 dollars per hide of young deer,$2,000 per stag hide, and 3,250 for stags with a baby. Today deer farming is not allowed in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, or Wyoming. There are 338 registered deer farms. CWD has very recently been diagnosed in four separate cases in Scandinavia, in a wild reindeer and also in moose. Agents that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been linked to a fatal human neurological disease. CWD prions have been found in muscle (meat), as well as other tissues of cervids, and could enter the food supply. CWD has now been found in wild deer and elk in eight states, including four states east of the Mississippi, plus two Canadian provinces, according to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, a coalition of wildlife conservation groups.
Key Players
Deer farmers, the state that you are in, hunters, buyers. Semen costs can be as much as $15,000 for the highest quality bucks. Deer can be raised as livestock for food. They can be raised for hunting preserves. Twenty-four bred does are purchased at $7,000 per head. Prices of does for producers in this group range from $4,000 to $14,000. Three breeder bucks are purchased for $35,000 with a range of $25,000 to $125,000.
Power-Dynamic Analysis
At this stage, it appears that farmers have the most power. They are protected by law, since this is their main source of income. While they are threatened, they still have more power compared to its protestors. The DNR has even made a plan around the fact that deer farming will be nearly impossible to be removed from Wisconsin.
Solutions
One of our solutions to this problem that would keep deer farms was our idea of a 15 year plan. The plan involves increasing public awareness of deer farms, and CWD as a disease found commonly in deer, especially in deer farms. It involves isolating any deer with the CWD disease, making sure they never come in contact with other deers, or are released into the wild. Then after 15 years of making sure they deer with CWD never connect with unafflicted deer, or reproduce and those deer die off things can go back to normal. The other, and more unpopular solution would be to ban deer farming in general, making it illegal everywhere. Sustained heat for several hours at extremely high temperatures (900°F and above) will reliably destroy a prion.
More solutions presented include removing of feeding, killing deers affected, and removing deer farms. All of which are not the most effective.
Citations
Smith, Paul A. “Smith: With Yet Another CWD-Positive Deer Farm, Is It Time to Consider Buyouts?” Jsonline.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2019/02/13/another-cwd-positive-deer-farm-time-consider-buyout/2857724002/.
Background
CWD is a disease that is affecting many deer in Wisconsin, especially those in deer farms. CWD is a disease that causes weight loss of animals by rapid and uncontrollable wasting (pooping/peeing). CWD is formed by misfolded proteins called prion (brain disease), which is consumed, and affects directly in the brain and causes the side effects of rapid wasting. Symptoms usually take 1 year to show, and can be transferred from deer to deer (or any animal) by silva or eaten meat.
The first case was found in 1967 in captive bred animals in Carolina from deers eating feed, with later cases found in the wild around the Wyoming and and southern Carolina area, which later spread to Wisconsin in 2001 with its first 3 cases (unknown on how it was introduced). Now, CWD has expanded to over 100 cases within Wisconsin's 338 registered farms, with unknown numbers reported in the wild (an estimated 100,000 wild deer infected since 1999 when first monitored).
Deer farming is an easier way to hunt (like canned hunting) and draws many hunters looking for a quick trophy to post on instagram. Other than hunting, people can buy meat, and of course consume the meat. A deer farm is also like a zoo, people can come and visit- with a small fee- and play with the deer. Deer farming has become a staple income for many living in Wisconsin, so the problem cannot be extinguished by removing deer farms. On average, raising A SINGLE deer can net the farmers $15,000. Starting a deer farm costs about $80,000, but has the potential to bring in 2-3 times the amount.
Deer farms are a problem because deers escape. Deers often hop over fences and escape, which spreads the disease, killing the deer, which lowers the population. It is also said to be able to affect humans, with no known cases yet to be recorded- it is still plausible.
Removing the farms has been a potential solution. While the DNR has many solutions, it's all up to the state on how they want to execute any/all solutions presented.
Current Status
Deer farms are not legal in most states (they started in the 1970’s for sporting).
Wisconsin counts deer as livestock. Deers are being bred with CWD, then are released into the wild for hunting. (Legal canned hunting). A buck is worth $15,000 per head. $6,500 per venison, 520 dollars per hide of young deer,$2,000 per stag hide, and 3,250 for stags with a baby. Today deer farming is not allowed in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, or Wyoming. There are 338 registered deer farms. CWD has very recently been diagnosed in four separate cases in Scandinavia, in a wild reindeer and also in moose. Agents that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been linked to a fatal human neurological disease. CWD prions have been found in muscle (meat), as well as other tissues of cervids, and could enter the food supply. CWD has now been found in wild deer and elk in eight states, including four states east of the Mississippi, plus two Canadian provinces, according to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, a coalition of wildlife conservation groups.
Key Players
Deer farmers, the state that you are in, hunters, buyers. Semen costs can be as much as $15,000 for the highest quality bucks. Deer can be raised as livestock for food. They can be raised for hunting preserves. Twenty-four bred does are purchased at $7,000 per head. Prices of does for producers in this group range from $4,000 to $14,000. Three breeder bucks are purchased for $35,000 with a range of $25,000 to $125,000.
Power-Dynamic Analysis
At this stage, it appears that farmers have the most power. They are protected by law, since this is their main source of income. While they are threatened, they still have more power compared to its protestors. The DNR has even made a plan around the fact that deer farming will be nearly impossible to be removed from Wisconsin.
Solutions
One of our solutions to this problem that would keep deer farms was our idea of a 15 year plan. The plan involves increasing public awareness of deer farms, and CWD as a disease found commonly in deer, especially in deer farms. It involves isolating any deer with the CWD disease, making sure they never come in contact with other deers, or are released into the wild. Then after 15 years of making sure they deer with CWD never connect with unafflicted deer, or reproduce and those deer die off things can go back to normal. The other, and more unpopular solution would be to ban deer farming in general, making it illegal everywhere. Sustained heat for several hours at extremely high temperatures (900°F and above) will reliably destroy a prion.
More solutions presented include removing of feeding, killing deers affected, and removing deer farms. All of which are not the most effective.
Citations
Smith, Paul A. “Smith: With Yet Another CWD-Positive Deer Farm, Is It Time to Consider Buyouts?” Jsonline.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2019/02/13/another-cwd-positive-deer-farm-time-consider-buyout/2857724002/.