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New questions about two confirmed cases of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Could the infected deer have been free-range after all?
The Department Of Agriculture and the DNR hosted an open house for deer farmers addressing the local cases.
The Holiday Inn in Big Rapids was packed with more than 100 people who all came to hear about the state's response to Chronic Wasting Disease.
The meeting comes after a Mecosta County deer farm sent in samples from two female deer that tested positive for CWD.
The Department Of Agriculture confirmed the cases in January.
We learned that what was first thought to be CWD strictly in farmed deer, may actually have come from free-range deer, and that would require some drastic actions.
"There are many story lines that are out there that we are fully investigating," said Dr. James Averill.
It's an investigation into CWD that now covers nine townships in Mecosta and Montcalm counties.
"There's all kinds of stories out there and rumor mills and until we complete our investigation our job is to try to vet those all out," said Dr. James Averill.
Speculation, leaving many on edge.
"There is the story that these were animals picked up from a processor and there is that story and we are fully going down that road, but the other side too is the producer who is under quarantine and impacted by these findings also signed documents saying they came from his facility," Dr. James Averill said.
Now the Department Of Agriculture and the DNR are responding. For a reliable sample to see if the disease is actually in the free-ranging population, they'd like to test 3,000 deer. They plan to kill 300 and test harvested deer and road kill.
"Both agencies are working both avenues at this point in time. Ags focusing on the farm and DNR working as if it was in the free ranging white tail deer," Dr. James Averill said.
"It's shocking they are going to start killing deer around that pen where they don't know if the deer came out of that pen. So I feel sorry for the neighbors around that pen," said Jeff Snyder.
While people are left wondering what this means for hunting.
"It would impact everything from mating to people who sell the bait to guns, ammo it will be huge if this keeps going on and rising," Jeff said.
If the investigation shows the deer farm did submit deer heads taken from a processor, they could face criminal charges.
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If the deer in Mecosta County were actually free ranging, should the NRC cancel APR's in the NW13 immediately?
When should they cancel them, if at all?...on a county by county basis should the disease show up there?
At some point, some folks are going to have to make some decisions.
(As a side note, I also saw a news story that says that there have now been 11 cases of FREE RANGING DEER IN MICHIGAN TO CONTRACT THE DISEASE.
It is mentioned at the end of the video located here:
Should there even be a re-vote on MARs in the NW13?
