Boise, Idaho News, Weather and Traffic - KTRV Fox 12 - Wildlife officials: Elk equivalent of "Mad Cow Disease" a concern in Idaho
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Boise, Idaho -- Fish and Game officials are looking for four domestic elk believed to be ear-tagged and roaming near the town of Chubbuck, Idaho.
It's not known where the elk came from, but it's raising more questions about the security of farm-raised elk and what could happen should they come into contact with wild elk.
This latest case comes on the heels of another high-profile escape last month. When more than 100 domestic elk took off from a hunting reserve in Eastern Idaho, Gov. Jim Risch ordered that they be shot on sight. The fear was that they might pollute the wild elk gene pool and possibly spread disease, most notably the deer and elk equivalent of mad cow disease.
There is still a lot unknown about Chronic Wasting Disease, the brain disorder that kills deer and elk. Researchers still don't know what causes it or exactly how the disease is transmitted among animals. It hasn't shown up in Idaho yet, but because of the severity of the disease, state wildlife officials aren't taking any chances.
"It's a situation where the state needs to remain vigilant. We have never found the disease here and we need to make sure we take all steps necessary not to have it enter Idaho," said John Chatburn, Department of Agriculture.
Since about 2002, Chatburn's department has required that all domestic elk be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease when they die. There are also rules against allowing elk into the state that come from ranches where CWD has occurred in the last five years.
As for wild game, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game tests about 1,000 animals a year at hunting check stations, road-kills, and in processing plants. The disease has been found in wild game in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, and in captive deer and elk at game farms in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
"If it shows up in Idaho, we want to get a handle on it as quick as we can," said Jim Unsworth, Fish and Game's wildlife chief.
Unsworth believes it's probably only a matter of time until infected herds migrate into Idaho or mix with herds already in the state. And although most elk ranchers follow the rules when it comes to CWD testing, he says there's always a chance an infected animal may slip through the cracks.
"We are concerned about animals that may come in that aren't being regulated or being slipped into the state," Unsworth said.
It is believed CWD spreads more easily in crowded conditions.
To date, there is no proof that any humans have been infected by CWD. However, scientists still do not understand the potential risk it poses to public health.
