Sask. elk herd to be destroyed over chronic wasting disease fears

A farmer near North Battleford, Sask., will lose his entire herd of elk after one of the animals tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued the order, which affects approximately 100 animals. CWD is transmitted by contact and affects the nervous systems of the animals. There is no treatment or vaccine. According to the CFIA, there is no danger to humans.

The herd had been under quarantine after the initial discovery of the disease. The specific farm was not identified but had been described as a hunting farm and breeding ranch in the Battlefords area, west of Saskatoon.

The CFIA had earlier confirmed that an elk that died on the ranch in March tested positive for the fatal disease.

"Canada has an eradication policy for chronic wasting disease, and unfortunately there's currently no reliable live-animal test for chronic wasting disease in elk," Dr. Connie Argue, a veterinarian with the CFIA told CBC News on Friday. "We know the disease is transmitted directly by animal to animal contact.  And so the only way to ensure the disease doesn't spread further is to destroy all the animals that have been in contact with a positive case."

Argue said the entire herd on the farm in question will be humanely destroyed before the end of April.

She said testing would be done on animals from other farms to see if any other animals had been exposed to the disease.

Owners receive some compensation when animals are ordered destroyed.