ODFW working to protect elk from deadly disease

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife was testing elk Sunday and Monday as hunters brought them by a testing station near Prineville, part of an effort to make sure deadly chronic wasting disease doesn’t get a foothold in the state.

This disease, which is a lot like mad cow disease, is not yet present among elk or deer in Oregon, and ODFW is doing what it can to keep it that way.

The disease is prevalent in many Northeastern states, but also has been seen in states as close as Colorado and Wyoming.

ODFW officials said that by having hunters stop by, they are able to let them know about the disease, as well as make sure deer and elk herds in Oregon are staying healthy.

Don Whittaker with ODFW has been testing elk for 15 years now. He said Monday the most important thing is being able to work with the hunters to keep elk and deer healthy.

“And over the last 10 to 15 years, it’s slowly marched westward and northwestward through the state of Wyoming, and it’s at this point on the brink of getting into Yellowstone National Park,” Whittaker said. “From there, it’s a short hop into Idaho, and Idaho’s pretty narrow between Wyoming and Oregon.”

The education doesn’t stop with the hunters, either, as veterinary students are able to get in some field work at these roadside stops.

Melanie Peel, a fourth-year veterinary student at Oregon State University, she said this aspect of her learning is extremely important.

“I like the ecosystem side of things, kind of everything being in a balance, and we got people and hunters that can help manage populations and the medicine side of it, so we can keep disease kind of on the lower end of things,” Peel said. “And I think that that balance is really interesting and beneficial.”

The testing process takes just a few minutes.