CRANBROOK, B.C. – Provincial wildlife officials have confirmed a new case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer near Jaffray, marking the ninth total case detected in British Columbia. All confirmed cases to date have been localized within the Kootenay region.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Surveillance and the Special Winter Hunt
The discovery comes amid an active provincial effort to monitor and contain the spread of the fatal prion disease. To gather more data and manage deer density, the B.C. government has authorized a special winter hunt running from January 5 to January 31, 2026, specifically in the Cranbrook area.
Mandatory Requirements for Hunters
- Mandatory Submissions: Heads of all harvested deer, elk, and moose must be submitted for testing at designated drop-off locations within seven days of harvest.
- Transport Restrictions: To prevent environmental contamination, it is prohibited to transport high-risk materials—such as the brain, spinal cord, and spleen—outside of the affected management area.
- Case Tracking: This latest case highlights the effectiveness of the mandatory testing program, which aims to detect the disease early before it reaches a critical “prevalence” threshold.
Public Health and Safety
While CWD is 100% fatal to cervids (deer, elk, and moose), there have been no documented cases of transmission to humans. However, as a precaution, health authorities strongly advise against eating meat from any animal that tests positive for the disease.
